Dance With the Devil
by cupcakemolotov
Summary: A collection of M rated short-stories and drabbles. All Klaroline. Newest: #24: Caroline Forbes is set to marry the man her father has chosen for her husband, when a carriage accident changes the course of her life. Klaus Mikaelson, rake and bastard son of a lord, finds himself intrigued with the woman who pulled him from the wreckage.
1. All I Need

**All I Need** : AU/Klaroline - Abducted art appraiser Caroline Forbes' life is upended when she is forcibly turned into a vampire. Rescued from her captors, the complications only add up when she discovers just how involved her boyfriend is in the supernatural. And why she was chosen as bait.

* * *

Caroline woke to a soft rustling. Body immediately tensing, it took a moment for her senses to register anything other than fear. Her throat burned with thirst, gums aching in a way that told her the nightmare was still real. When the bone-wrenching hurt didn't assault her, she cautiously lifted her lashes.

She was tucked into a bed with a single, luxurious black sheet draped over her new, temperature resistant body. And she was naked. Completely naked.

"There was no point in salvaging what you were wearing, love."

Her muscles locked up, every part of her immediately rejecting the truth of that voice. _Klaus_. Taking a lungful of air she didn't need anymore, Caroline squeezed her eyes shut. It smelled like him, what she knew as his smell when she'd been human, but more now; a touch of something new, something hot, threading through it.

She wasn't ready for this.

Another of those rustles and she felt him approach the bed. She wanted to reach for him and demand to be held, let loose this iron control she'd been forced into.

Caroline wanted to feel safe.

But she couldn't, could she? She ducked her head, and let her tangled curls hide her face. The horror of the last few days had been ground into her bones, traded Caroline-Art-Appraiser for Caroline-the-Monster, bait for a creature whose name was never been spoken, for fear they'd draw attention before they were ready. Her pleading, begging attempts to find out why - she was only human, nothing in this unknown game of horrors - met with stony silence.

Instead, as she'd hung by her wrists in her cell – wet ropes burning through her skin - she'd heard the horror stories of the winged-demon who slaughtered his enemies. She'd been forced to drink blood. A gift from one of this unknown hybrid's disavowed minions – then her head nearly wrenched from her body - only to wake voracious. A childhood friend between her teeth. And now she'd miraculously been rescued, and the man she'd been falling so hard for would see the monster she'd become.

He needed to leave - _she needed him to leave_.

There was sigh, and something settled next to her. Throat burning, she trembled at the sight of the blood bag; everything inside her rejecting what she was looking at, the knowledge - he knew, _oh God_ \- that was creeping into her denial.

"You need blood."

Her lips parted, veins crawling under her eyes, and she jerked away from the bag on reflex.

"Sweetheart, you transitioned before I found you. Starving yourself will not bring Elena back."

Caroline twisted, eyes dark - the monster on display - and froze.

Klaus - her Klaus - stood beside the bed. He was dressed in a simple pair of drawstring pants, cinched loosely on lean hips. The low light in the room left the ink she was so intimately familiar with in shadow, but the lines and planes of his face she knew. Those tousled curls, that faint quirking of his lips.

But behind him - curling upwards, darker than any shadow in the room - were _wings_. They absorbed the light, the length nearly brushing the floor and Caroline could only stare. Klaus pushed a curl from her face, eyes glittering.

"I'd open a vein for you love, but then we'd spend the rest of the afternoon having sex." He brushed his fingers delicately across the veins under her eyes. "And as badly as I want to reassure us both that you're alright - acquaint you to your new sensitivity - the shock on your face says they didn't tell you everything."

Caroline slowly sat up, one arm holding the silk sheet across her chest. Licking dry lips, she lifted her gaze to his face. "You have wings."

"Hmmm. My kind usually do, although there aren't as many of us anymore. At least on this plane of existence," He tapped her nose. "Blood or no answers."

She hesitated.

"Caroline," Klaus said gently, cupping her face. "I'm more than happy to prove how attractive I find the monster under your skin. I know you didn't ask for this. But there is no reason to be ashamed, love."

She pulled away from his touch, chin trembling. What he was asking, the burning in her throat, the memory of her kill under her fangs, it was too much. "I can't, I can't, I…"

Klaus slid onto the bed before she could move more than an inch away from him, arms banding around her. One hand tangled in her hair, the other wrapped around her waist to hold her against him. He pressed her face into his shoulder, and she dug her nails into his back.

"I'm a monster," she said against his chest, body shaking hard enough to rattle her teeth. "I killed people. I killed her."

"Shh, love." Klaus rocked her, his grip solid around her. "Shhh."

Caroline cried against his chest. Heaving sobs she hadn't allowed herself during captivity. He just held her, until all she'd left were hiccupping breaths. Breathing in the scent of his skin, she tried to force the monster back; push it away from the surface.

A sudden, unexpected texture against her back and a soft warmth blanketed her. Breath stuttering out, she slowly turned her head. The light was blocked by the dark feathers that cascaded around her, cradling her.

Trembling fingers slowly left his back, reached out to touch. His feathers were surprisingly smooth, somehow warm beneath her fingertips. He made no move to stop her, and a delicate humming noise vibrated between then; Caroline dropped her hand in embarrassment as her nipples unexpectedly tightened.

"You'll feel better if you eat." Klaus said roughly.

"Blood," Caroline whispered, leaning back against his chest. "They made me into a monster."

His hand smoothed her hair. "A vampire, sweetheart. The malady that runs in your veins doesn't make you a monster; you don't need fangs to be one. What you are is Caroline, regardless of the secrets you keep under your skin. What price is a little blood to have you here, with me?"

Caribe tilted her face, stared at this known-stranger who'd collected the scattered pieces of her heart weeks ago. Who'd she teased and loved; he liked wine and chocolate, the sound of her voice while she begged.

"Your eyes are glowing."

His arm shifted, wings parting to let the world back in and he placed the blood bag into her hands. "Eat, love. I promise - the men who took you, they'll regret it for an eternity."

She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth. "You didn't kill them?"

She'd heard screams, but she'd seen nothing. Lying in a pool of her own blood, the only real memory of those last few moments with her captors were agony.

"That'd be a touch merciful, putting them out of my reach." Hot flecks of gold turned his eyes brilliant. " _Caroline_."

The blood was lush against her tongue, and she shuddered. Swallowed in greedy gulps, she finished the bag with a little hitching moan. It took a moment, but she was finally able to push her monster back under her skin. Hesitantly, she looked at Klaus.

"What are you?"

"A demon," he traced her lips, brought his thumb to his mouth to lick off the remaining blood. "Most refer to my kind as chaos, and that's nearly close enough."

Caroline shivered at the movement of his tongue, tried to ignore the sudden burn in her veins. "I was bait. For you?"

When they took her. Yanked her from the street, silenced her screams with their eyes and forced compliance with brutality. She shook a little at the memory, but forced it back. Not yet.

"Yes," he bared incisors sharper than even hers. "Would you like the story now? Shall I tell you how I flayed them open, left behind entrails and bone; the bargains that they made begging for life?"

Caroline should've been alarmed. Every part of her should've scrambled away from him, from the violence he described. Instead, it eased the tightness of her shoulders, soothed some unknown knot in her chest.

"I've been having sex with a chaos demon," She said instead, voice slightly strangled.

Klaus caught her hand, scrapped his teeth along the veins at her wrist. The sharp points of his fangs barely broke her skin; he licked at the tiny drops of blood like they were ambrosia. Caroline whimpered at the feeling, lungs suddenly tight in her chest.

"Hmmm, sex is such a paltry word for what I plan with you." He said lowly, lifting his lashes to show eyes that has bled to gold.

"Klaus." Caroline shook her head. "What… what is this? Why did they take me?"

"Because you're mine," Klaus flipped her hand over, brushed his lips across the skin available to him. "There were protections in place, but they were circumvented. That will not happen again."

Caroline worked really hard to keep her breathing even as he feathered light kisses between words. It wasn't working that well. But she couldn't quite manage to pull her arm away, either. As a distraction, it was working.

"What happened?"

"What usually happens when someone fails me? I ate him." He bit lightly at a knuckle. "The men who took you were part of a faction that's been hunting me - one of my brothers, Kol, wiped most of them out few centuries ago - but they're apparently still lingering.

"You're a half-demon," Caroline said slowly. "Can you be killed?"

He laughed against her palm, dimples flashing. "Full demon, love. It's the sort of thing you are or are not. The human connection is what lets me remain here. As for death, there are an assortment of theories, none have worked yet. To give mother credit, using the immortality spell to transform the others should've given them the best shot at taking me down."

He sucked the tip of her forefinger into his mouth, lick it. Caroline breathed heavily through parted lips and finally tugged her hand away. "Stop it."

His smile was unrepentant. "I missed you on my tongue."

She lifted her chin. "You hide your wings with the scroll tattoos on your back?"

"Yes."

"And you have a family?" Caroline frowned at him. "You told me you didn't have any living family?"

"Yes," he reached for her hand, ignored her growl and tangled their fingers. "My remaining family are technically dead, they're vampires, love."

She froze. "They are?"

His lips quirked. "My mother decided the best way to deal with the death of her husband and youngest son was to give the gift of immortality - vampirism; all vampires trace back to them."

"But I don't understand," Caroline whispered. "Your enemies - why did they do this? I'd still be bait as a human."

"They had you for six days, Caroline." Klaus' eyes glittered. "You've been vampire for almost four."

Caroline froze, fingers white knuckling around his. "My mom."

"She'll be here in the morning," He said quietly. "She's safe."

"I ate Elena." Caroline whispered, voice cracking. "I couldn't… I couldn't stop."

"No newly born vampire can, love." Klaus' eyes filled with iron, with temper as a darkness she'd never seen before clung to his wings. "A doppelgänger's blood fed to a demon is rumored to be poison."

Caroline stared at him, face pale. "But…"

"They'd driven a stake partly through your heart." His cheekbones sharpened, wings flattening against his spine. "A vampire can't survive that. If you'd still been human, saving you would've only required my blood. As a vampire, it required something a little more complicated."

"I don't understand."

"I know," Klaus shook his head. "Part of the ritual to save you included drinking your blood; they'd hoped to poison me with the doppelgänger blood remaining in your veins."

"What did you do?" Caroline asked, alarmed. "What else is crawling under my skin?"

"You're strong," Klaus said gently. "But death is no longer your escape, sweetheart. I can find you anywhere."

She shook her head, eyebrows bunched. "What did you do?"

His head canted, smiling just enough to show the tips of his fangs. "What do you know about bargaining with a devil, love?"

"What? You mean like 'one soul for piles of gold' type things?" Caroline fidgeted, hands bunching in the sheet at her breasts. "I'm not very religious."

"Oh, what I am has little to do with religion, love - that whole Evil vs. Good argument is boring, and not really my purvey. A devil's bargain however," Klaus smiled at her - dimples cutting deep, fangs on full display - and her heart jumped in her chest. "I wouldn't recommend one, as we're so very fond of our loopholes. But mere mortals are so desperate to make them. Particularly when you've buried your claws in their guts and you're walking them through how'll they'll die."

"You bargained with my captors?" Caroline said finally, mouth dry.

"Their souls are mine." His eyes glimmered, his expression predatory. "For a thousand years, they'll live an unending existence, subject to my will."

"Shouldn't… wouldn't that be coercion?" Caroline said slowly. "How does that work?"

He shrugged. "When a man is on his knees, begging for his life - swearing he'll do anything, just please, let him live - well, it'd be a shame to just waste that potential."

Klaus stroked the edges of her collarbone, the heat of him searing. "I carved it into their skin, marked them with their own bones. What their lives are worth, how much suffering I will wring from their existence."

"Is that what you want from me?" Caroline whispered. "A bargain?"

His lips curved, lashes lowering as he watched her from a darkening gaze. Her abdomen clenched, every part of her suddenly, acutely aware of her nakedness. "Oh no, love. For you, it's a promise. I've been drawing it on your skin, weaving my claim on your soul since the day you told me you were more interested in my art than the artist. Those weeks you held me on tenterhooks, refusing as much as coffee. Then later, with each touch, each gasping moan, each thrust inside you, I've taken a little more of you into my keeping. A bargain, love? From you, I want everything."

Lips parted, she stared at him in shock. "But… I don't… I didn't…"

His eyes gleamed. "You love me."

Caroline spluttered, reeling away from him, but Klaus held her close through their clasped hands. His gaze roamed her face, smile knowing. "Do you think I couldn't feel it? The way you breathed me in, the ease in which your soul clung to mine? Even a demon's promise needs hooks, little holds to dig in. Oh, you were finally tempted by my offers - the sex - but you're stubborn. It was frustrating, and so arousing, to have you so close, but unable to lure. How could I miss the moment that changed - a softening, curiosity; those are not a welcoming. That requires more."

"I was human!"

"You're mine," Klaus leaned close, eyes catching hers. She swallowed hard at the expression there. "You gave yourself to _me_."

"You apparently cheated," she growled back, chin tilted. "That doesn't count."

"A challenge love?"

"What?" Caroline said, alarmed. She untangled their hands, shaking her head. "No. No, no, _no_! This isn't a game."

"I accept."

Caroline grabbed at the sheet he tugged from her hands. His gaze swept her, fingers encircling one bare ankle. Casually, he tugged her across the sheets nearly into his lap.

"Klaus! That wasn't a challenge!"

The feel of his mouth on her breast, and her protest died in her throat. Her hands threaded through his hair, clutched at his curls and she moaned helplessly at his tongue swirled along her nipple. His mouth was a hot, insistent pull against her breast, and the hand not supporting her back, massaged the other firmly; calloused, knowing fingertips tugged and rolled her tight nipple. Caroline panted heavily, rocking into his lap; the curve of his wings arched over his shoulders to brush against her bare skin.

"I could lick you out," Klaus growled as he lifted his head. "Slide my tongue along the slick parts of you until you scream."

Caroline shuddered, lashes fluttering as his fingers brushed across her folds, already embarrassingly wet. "I'd die."

He kissed her chin, the corner of her mouth as he pushed a finger inside her. "Oh love, you already have."

She pressed her face against his neck, body rocking to the movement of his fingers, keening lowly in her throat.

"So wet for me already." Klaus slid his free hand up her spine, callouses dragging along each vertebrae. "Death will be good for you love, I'll ensure it."

He took his time, thumb an irregular pressure against her clit. She ground her hips down, and he pressed his lips to her ear. "Need something, sweetheart?"

She bit his shoulder in frustration. The unexpected taste of his blood filled her mouth; fangs sliding free to dig in hard. He moaned, and her orgasm was sudden and fierce. It washed through her in a wave, her hips grinding onto his hand as he stroked her through the aftershocks. She glided back into her skin; Klaus holding her easily, cradling her scalp as she slowly licked his shoulder clean.

"Look at those little fangs of yours," he breathed, laying her back. Caroline opened dazed eyes and the want on his face shook her as he stroked her lip with his thumb, eyes filled with greed.

"What was that?" She finally managed, body loose limbed, every part of her suffused with heat and need. Watched as he kicked off his pants.

Klaus lifted the hand damp with her slickness, licked his fingers clean. "Demon blood. We're a bit more potent than the average human."

He smoothed his palms down her breasts, fingertips hot across her stomach. "Feeling a little more languid, a little hotter under the skin than normal, love?"

"Yes." Caroline breathed, eyes slowly sharpening on his face. "God, yes."

"Welcome to being a vampire with a demonic partner, love. Lucky for you, I'm delighted to share." A snap of his hips, and he pushed inside her. Caroline's spine arched and her breast brushed against the rough silk of his feathers. Whimpering, she gripped his shoulders with desperate hands.

And God, she was already so close.

Klaus took no pity on her, thrusts stroking roughly along her hypersensitive nerves. She wrapped her legs around his hips, desperate for some kind of anchor, and he pulled his wings back, the heavy weight brushing along the sensitive curve of her knees, her thighs.

His tongue laved across her nipple, and the lean lines of him shivered under the desperate clasp of her muscles. Blunt, human teeth dragged across the swell of her breast before the unexpected sting of his fangs. She bucked helplessly, body writhing as he pushed through the vice of her orgasm. He unlatched his fangs, face pressed into her chest as he came, hips slamming into hers before he stilled.

"Caroline," he said. His voice was jagged, the grip on her hips bruising. "They took you from me, begged their dead and broken gods for mercy I will not grant."

Caroline stroked the back of his neck, lashes fluttering. "I'm here."

Klaus lifted his head, canted it to the side. She couldn't help the way she clenched around him as he licked his lips, any more than the want that fluttered through her as his lashes fluttered.

"Again."

Hey eyes widened as she stared at him. "Again? But… _oh my God_."

He ground his hips into hers, the length of him hardening inside her. He kissed her neck, licked behind her ear until she dug her nail into his back. Slow, steady stokes left her mewling, her body over sensitive and climbing. He lifted his head, gaze scorching.

"Demon, sweetheart." He spread his wings to their full glory behind him, every line ethereal. "We're just getting started. You'll find your new nature to be quite helpful, in that regard."

* * *

Caroline slowly came back into awareness, her body pleasantly exhausted. Klaus had wrapped around her, her spine pressed to his chest, his arm banded around her hips. Her cheek was cushioned by the softness of his feathers, and for a moment she worried she had to be hurting him. But when she tried to move, he pulled her closer, his other wing slung across her thighs and torso, the edges tickling her breasts.

"You're fine."

"Am I squishing you?"

He laughed into her hair. She thumped his arm, which just made him laugh harder. "Klaus! It's a legitimate question."

He rolled them, leaving his wings draped along either side of her. Klaus smiled down at her, nipped at her chin with playful teeth. "It'd be a bit inconvenient love, if they were so delicate."

She scowled at him, even as her fingers stroked the scruff of his beard, too relaxed to really work herself up at his amusement. "I'm still mad at you."

He kissed her, lips lingering as they slid against hers; until her hands tangled in his necklaces, body pushing against his. "You look ferocious."

She bit her lip, trying to hide the smile tugging at the edges of her mouth even as her blood heated. "You're incorrigible."

"You seem pretty satisfied to me," Klaus arched one brow. "Did you lose count of your orgasms at the end? I was keeping count, would you like me to refresh your memory?"

Caroline covered her face. "I can't even look at you."

"Sweetheart, what's really bothering you."

She lowered her hand, sighed. Toying with one of his necklaces, she watched him through her lashes. "I'm a vampire."

"Yes."

"What does that mean?"

"For most: heightened emotions, heightened sex drive, supernatural strength and speed, and a permanent liquid diet; an allergy to sunlight that results in fire. Near immortality."

"For most?"

He bent his head, licked at her collarbones. "You carry a demon's promise on your skin - it's drawn on your soul. My blood runs in your veins, will continue to do so for eternity. The rules are a little different."

"Klaus…"

He lifted his head, looked at her. "Do you think I'd have let you go, had you lived? I'd have exploited every loophole, chased your soul through all the dark places of the earth until we were exactly where we are now."

"Seriously? You, I don't know, could have _asked_ before you started in with the weird demon-magic?" Her eyes narrowed. "Is this what I get for not believing myself when I said you could be a stalker?"

"Rebekah will love you."

"Rebekah?" She asked, thrown. He'd said that name before. Family?

"My sister. I have two brothers - well, two that are living." He shrugged, wings ruffling along the bed. "Finn is in a box, tormented with hellfire that'll never kill him. I lost Henrik - I couldn't catch his soul then, didn't know how."

She cupped his face, expression exasperated. "You cannot do this. Just throw around mindless violence with mentions that you're… _this_. Klaus - I'm not okay with drinking blood, much less… demons and wars and whatever the hell else I don't know about."

"But you like the wings," He teased, eyes oddly serious.

"I admit nothing."

His smile was catlike, all smug satisfaction. "I'll take you flying."

"What?"

"These wings aren't for decoration love." Klaus kissed her jaw, bit at her ear. "Would you like to touch the clouds?"

She paused, worrying her lip. "This won't work as a distraction."

He dimpled. "Sex is a bit tricky that high, but do-able."

Caroline blinked, tried not to think about it; failed, as his thumb brushed along her nipple, teasing it into a tight peak. She was already damp, body remembering the way he'd demanded her submission the night before, giving her no mercy as he took what he wanted, blinding pleasure finally leaving her senseless.

"I'm pretty sure that high, it'd be cold. That's not really conducive for sex." Caroline managed, hips rolling against his, voice breathless as he dragged his tongue across his lower lip.

"Not for a vampire." He said, hands sliding under her thighs, lifting her hips as he stoked into her welcoming heat. "Not for you."

She rolled her hips, greedy for the way he made her feel, hands clutching the sheets. He kept his movements slow, coaxing instead of demanding. He watched her, eyes bleeding into gold.

"Say your mine."

"Klaus…" She hitched out a moan, lips parting so she could breathe.

"Tell me," he ordered. "Give me what I want, sweetheart. I'll make it worth it."

"It doesn't… work like that," Caroline gasped between thrusts. His eyes lowered, watching the way her breasts moved. "You can't just demand."

"Oh sweetheart," the flat of his tongue glided against her nipple. She moaned and Klaus caught her gaze as he looked up, the gold of his gaze white hot.

"Here you are, naked with my cock inside you, my claim on your skin and you think that isn't how this works?" He shifted the angle of her hips and she gasped, spine arching. "Here on my alter, in the bed of the beast, I want your confession."

"Klaus." Caroline tilted her head back, hair a wild cascade on the black sheets. "Sex confessions - don't count!"

He kissed her throat, scrapped his teeth down sensitive skin. "Caroline, little love, give in. Give me your words, I'll make you feel so good."

She writhed in his arms, the silk of the sheets sliding beneath her hands, against her back; she'd no leverage. Klaus seemed in no hurry, his cock and hands riling her nerves to the breaking point, but no more.

" _Please_."

He arched her spine, brought her breasts to his mouth and Caroline sobbed out her pleasure, body completely his. "The words, love."

"Yours," she choked. He lashes fluttered against her skin and he smiled. Sucking hard at one breast, Klaus ground his hips into hers; she came with a scream, body suspended by his hands. He joined her moments later, hot between her thighs.

There was nothing human to his expression when she looked at him; her body trembled, blissed down to her fingertips.

"Welcome to eternity, love."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	2. Fallen

THis was written for justanotherfiveminutes on Tumblr!

* * *

The world tasted like ash.

It bled on her tongue when she fell, banished for loyalty she'd refused to break; wings stained and broken, body cursed. Hands and knees stained brown, body clumsy with its heavy bones and dense muscle, Caroline watched the world from her monsters face and wept.

Eventually, she healed.

She learned how to move her clumsy fingers, claimed this new existence as her own. The realm - stripped of its light, left nearly barren by powers both darker and greater than her own, she found she could flourish here. That her small sparks of power were enough.

But she never flew.

The brilliant wings that had once carried her through realms - white and vivid - were streaked with the color of new blood. She'd waited for them to bleed to a darker grey, to turn black; to show the world the cost of her sins. But what white remained was luminescent, the red scattered like rubies.

So she tucked them away. Sank her freedom, the peace of the open skies back into her bones and these new muscles, hid them away with those soft drops of remaining power and set about finding life; instead of mourning what she'd lost.

* * *

Sometimes she'd watch a bird and remember.

The rush of the wind, the elation of a steep climb and the vertical dive. The soft brush of feathers against skin and the thrill of the chase.

But only sometimes.

* * *

"I thought I knew all the monsters in New Orleans," the vampire said. He was tall and dark skinned, the lines of his jaw handsome. Caroline suspected many found him appealing.

"I suppose you do," Caroline told this Marcel, pushing her blond curls away from her face with a slight smile. "I'm just passing through."

Marcel leaned against the bar she chosen to hunt in, hungry for more than blood. A hundred years, and sometimes she craved people - not touch, just people. Their noises, their vibrancy, anything to crack the ice she carried beneath her skin. Falling had stripped her of so much, but she refused to crawl.

"Without introducing yourself? New power makes a splash."

Caroline laughed, as he'd intended. This vampire's skin was older than hers, age a comfortable weight sling his shoulders. The power she'd once carried was older by millenniums. What she was now was nothing more than a shadow. "I'm hardly a power, but thank you."

Marcel shrugged, his smile turning thoughtful. "I think Klaus would like to meet you."

"Klaus?"

"Our king."

* * *

Klaus was no vampire, but he wasn't fallen. The shadow and flame of him burned through her ice - cut through her flesh and bone with his presence until those golden drops of her power burned through her body like a drug. He stared at her like she was a surprise, those flickers of monster turning his face stark.

He hadn't touched her.

"I heard your fall." He said, eyes dark. His jaw was strong, dimples softening a face almost rugged. "We hunted for you, but you hid yourself well."

Caroline stared at this nightmare creature and wanted. Fingertips aching, body hot with arousal she had felt in decades, she shrugged. "I'm not prey."

Klaus laughed, and darkness gathered around him until he felt like coal, the lingering fire against her skin. And then wings - glorious wings, the color of spilled ink spread behind him. "Neither am I."

* * *

"Why?"

Caroline arched both brows, licked the drink he'd handed her from her lips. Tasted blood. "I'm not a creature of mixed loyalty."

Greed turned his eyes blue, left his pupils wide. "What fool let you fall for him?"

"It was never about falling," Caroline corrected him, lips curved in a mimicry of a smile. "I do not regret my choice."

His hand caught hers, tangled his hot fingers with the coolness of hers. She glanced at him, tried to ignore the way hers trembled.

"Then why?"

She blinked once, untangled their palms.

"Because I fell alone."

* * *

The massacre stained her skin with rust. Sword held lightly in her hand, she turned to face her shadow. "You shouldn't be here."

"You're hunted," Klaus bit out, his temper turning the air arid. "Why?"

"In realms beyond this one, wars are fought. Armies are bred and power is born though sacrifice and death - sometimes life." Caroline let her sword fall, watched it disappear. "You're made of chaos, how do you not know this?"

"This realm is overlooked for many reasons," Klaus countered, fingertips brushing near a cut on her arm. "I am one. You draw attention."

"When I fell - I was pulled here, by something I could not name. Fate? Who knows. But they hunt me because I did not loose my wings, did not fall powerless, although what I carry is useless here."

Hot palms cupped her face. "You will return with me. To the safety of my home."

"Death comes to us all."

"Death does not lack for company; she'll not object to your continued absence."

"I can take care of myself."

"I'm not a selfless creature, Caroline." Klaus warned her, brushing her cheek with his thumb. "If I'd fallen, I'd have taken you with me, torn you from the sky with greedy hands. I too, am not a creature of mixed loyalty."

* * *

He taught her to sin.

With his hands, along the curve of his lips, against the rough velvet of his tongue. She luxuriated in his body and his power, wondered at the look behind his eyes. The possessive adoration he drew along her skin, those swirls of power she pretended not to notice that didn't quite cling to her soul.

Laughed at his narrow eyed determination.

Flightless she was but not powerless.

"You fight me."

"I'm not a creature to be claimed."

"But I am."

Caroline turned, stared at the monster that wanted beneath her skin. He hunted for the slightest of weakness and beguiled with a soul so dark she could see nothing but age.

"What?"

"You do not even try," Klaus said voice tight with anger. "What do you need from me, Caroline that I have not given?"

What pieces of her heart she'd found in the past hundred years broke. Because she'd made a choice, had left behind those claiming ribbons, burned herself into another's skin and broken at the rejection. Lips trembling, she watched him from behind tears she'd forgotten could fall.

"I have nothing to claim you with."

* * *

Caroline left.

* * *

She'd been wrong.

Something must have broken free with her, some tiny shard of her heart. Because she'd left it behind, embedded carelessly against Klaus' skin. It's absence burned inside her chest and no amount of distance soothed it.

Then she found war.

* * *

Klaus found her.

Exhaustion eating at the narrow of her bones, wings spread in their brilliance of white and blood red, she cradled the body of her dead. She felt him long before he crouched next to her, the familiar shadow touching her skin.

"He did not fall."

Caroline hiccuped a sob, reached with a blind hand to grab for him, needing the strength he'd always shared. His fingers met hers, locked tight.

"There is only one way to return what I'd given him," Caroline whispered, voice ragged. "And I refused."

The lean lines of his fingers tangled in her ruined curls, his touch possessive. "How did you fall, Caroline?"

"Our match was not favored - he was chosen for a Generals daughter. I was a fool. But I was a fool who loved and so when the time came for him to choose, I accepted his choice. But I had given too much, loved too much - so I choose to abandon my duties, I banished myself."

"And he let you."

She pressed her bloody hand to her mouth, closed her eyes. Shook with the sobs she would not voice. Nodded once.

Klaus turned her tear stained face to his, his monster vivid. Curved his palm along her throat. "You ran."

"I miss you."

"Good."

* * *

She stretched lazily on the big bed, wings spread in bold colors. "That won't be the last who hunts me."

Laughter filled the room as hot lips brushed her spine. "You hid these from me. Why?"

Caroline tilted her head, looked at her black winged monster. "I tell you that Tyler wasn't the only who'll seek to hunt me; now that I've killed a general and taken back my power and you ask about my wings?"

"They're beautiful," Klaus told her with something soft behind his eyes. "Why hide them?"

"They reminded me of what I'd lost, the price I'd pay to get it back." Caroline sighed, dug into his thigh lightly with her nails. "Why are you not worried?"

Klaus grinned, sprawled next to her on the bed until the his cascade of feathers spread across hers. "This is my realm."

"Yes, you live here."

Hot lips against her shoulder. "Yes and no."

His power flooded the room, drenched her in shadow fire. Breath stuttering at the feel, at this controlled unleashing, she stared at him with parted lips.

"This realm, little love, belongs to me and with everything in it." He traced her jaw. "I felt you fall, searched for decades. Then you walked into my city wide-eyed and wingless, held off my advances with a smile; ignored my claiming with a laugh. Your dead lover returned your heart, your golden ribbons of power. Tell me, Caroline - do you think I didn't notice the lingering touch of your power, that one little spark against my chest."

Caroline rolled up her side, touched his face. "I didn't know I'd lost it until I'd left."

"What do you need from me to paint my skin with your claim, Caroline?" Klaus kissed her cheek, lingered briefly on her lips. "Be warned - I'm not the type to let go."

Caroline reached up, cupped his face. Smiled at him, golden fingertips turning his eyes brilliant as her claim teased him. Traced the line of his lips - watched his gaze darken as his tongue licked at her power.

"I want to fly."

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	3. In a Land of Broken Stars

For goldcaught, whose been not so subtly asking for this for months. Hope you like it.

* * *

He found her in his garden.

In a thousand years, New Orleans had felt the most like home. A city that entombed it's dead, with its salt water smell and the touch of magic and religion. He'd known death - carried its weight, the iron teeth and power of it in his bones. Death was his keeper, the old and true friend who stood in his shadow. He'd walked with her through the catacombs of Paris, witnessed the horrors of Rome, laughed in the face of the English wars.

Death which had broken his cursed bonds to the mortal wheel, who gave him a monster's choice. Greedy for life, he took it. A king was a king, regardless of a kingdom. So he carved his subjects from the damned, shaped a shadow world against the hot blade of modern religion, the slow grind if the faithless and watched the stories in the stars.

But Klaus loved her.

This golden goddess, with her tumbling curls and defiant eyes. The creature he longed for through all his endless days, those nameless years he walked in this new flesh, the taste of old blood on his tongue. Here she stood, in the garden he'd built for her - the memory of another shared garden at the beginning of his world hot beneath his feet.

Her face had changed - the slope of her nose and the sharpness of her cheekbones, the curve of her mouth. But her eyes… the blue was the same, but more importantly was the expression, the defiance and demand. Klaus was unable to move, feet planted like one of her trees. He was rooted, frozen under the blue of the sky and the shadowed waters of the seas.

"So it is you." Her words were jagged, for all her hardness, there was wildness bleeding into her gaze. Klaus knew that look. Had seen it before, when her tongue tasted of pomegranates and later, when she demanded her crown as his equal. This child of sunshine and spring, in his land of death and shades.

"Yes," Klaus breathed, finally moving his feet of lead. She shifted back, the move so small another would've miss it. He ignored it, hands and lips desperate for her. "I've spent a millennium hunting for any echo of your soul and here you stand."

She lifted her palm, staring at him with feral eyes. "A millennium? And where have you been, husband, that you only know a thousand years?"

"Bound to the wheel," Klaus told her, gaze narrowed. "I suffered through lifetimes of morality, or did you fall unknowing of the gift our kin left me?"

Darkness crawled across the shining vestige of her face, blackened the eyes he knew - the punch of old power, weak but lingering as she bared the sharp points of her fangs. His lungs stilled, arousal a hot fist in his gut.

"Do not speak to me of sacrifice," she snarled before turning on her heel, striding away from him on shapely legs he longed to trace, to learn. Catalogue all the little differences the shade of mortality had carved along her flesh. "You left me."

"When did you fall?" Klaus demanded, following her further from the house, the stares he could feel from the family he'd carved into being. The survivors of their mother's insanity, their father's cruelty.

"I did not fall," was the cold response. "I stood in our river, watched our kingdom empty of souls and took the promise offered me. I have walked this world for time beyond counting, until the stars themselves have changed and I have looked. I took death's malady for a single hope and now…"

It took three strides to catch her shoulders beneath his palm, to sear the feel of her against the bone and muscles. Clumsy mortality might be, but stubborn. She snarled as he spun her, hair wild around her defiant face.

"Now what?" Klaus demanded.

"It appears you did not need me so much after all."

Klaus laughed, hands tightening with bruising force. She struggled, but he would not let her go. His little Queen, his Spring Goddess. "I stole you from beneath the nose of your kin, forced a compromise between gods to keep you and you think a thousand years, a change of flesh would do more than make things interesting? You are mine."

She bared sharp teeth and he matched her with his monster, the double gift of wolf and death. That startled her, the gold in his eyes. His smile widened. "Death is a possessive mistress, an ageless friend. Do you think she forgot your sacrifice, the love of her subjects? Do you imagine that she would let something like the folly of the gods interfere with her plans?"

Slowly, brows bunched in a familiar yet new expression, she touched the curve of his lips. Traced the double edge of his fangs. "What are you?"

"Hybrid," Klaus said softly, unwilling to startle her out of this softening. "A nightmare."

She snorted, darkness fading from her eyes. "Whose?"

He brought one cool palm to his lips, breathed in the scent of her skin. "Not yours."

Her eyes shuttered, but he tightened his grip. "Will you give me a name?"

Her lips purse, lashes flickering, "Caroline."

"I'm Klaus."

"I know," she murmured. She stared up at him, bottom lip sliding between her teeth. Everything he wanted. Here. It was clear that this wouldn't be an easy reunion, but when had they slotted smoothly? They were gods reborn as monsters, the old power lingering in her in a way it never would for him - he who was stripped of his divinity, bound to mortality as a sacrifice.

His Queen had chosen him. Abandoned her kin, walked the earth alone. She carried the same seeds of malady in her veins and chosen solitude. He knew there had been no others who carried death in the world, he would have felt them when he awoke. King of the Damned, he knew each of his subjects, felt the coldness of their souls.

But not hers.

"You hid."

"I hide from nothing," Caroline rejected, voice layering in frost. "Especially from you."

"Then kiss me."

Blue eyes flashed to his, met the challenge there. "Why?"

"I built this garden for you," Klaus told her. He let go of her palm, cupped her newly beloved face. "In each of my homes, a garden blooms for you - but this is my favorite. Do you remember the shape of it, the way it cut through my loneliness each season you left my world barren? Those little sparks of power you left me in my cold kingdom?"

Her eyes shimmered, mouth softening. "Yes."

"Kiss me."

Her lips trembled, breath catching in her throat. But Caroline was correct, she'd never hid. So, hands cool against his beard, eyes and chin stubborn, she slid her lips lightly across his.

The world shifted under his feet - a thousand years of waiting burning through his blood. Hands sliding down her throat, he leaned in and demanded more. Her lips parted, tongue a slick slid against his - she tasted golden, the long lost burn of ambrosia on his tongue. A moan, his or hers, it didn't matter. Klaus was lost, tugged her close and tight, desperate.

Hands in his hair, Caroline trembled as they both went to the rich earth, hands and bodies desperate. He gave and gave, desperate for everything she'd offer. Her mouth was greedy and desperate and when she broke apart in his arms, he kissed away the pale streaks of tears.

"I want revenge."

Klaus lifted his head from her naked breast, looked at Caroline with her red lips and flushed cheeks, war behind her eyes. "Love?"

Her hands cupped his face. "They took you from me."

"They erased you from the stars."

She laughed, the sound low and husky, body relaxing into the earth. He wondered if she knew how closely the earth still followed her, trees and flowers, bending towards her. "I abandoned them. What star could possibly hold more than you?"

He closed his eyes, bent his head, body trembling. She stroked his cheeks, thumbs a soft temptation. "Did you think I would not choose you?"

"I could not find you," Klaus ground out. He lifted his gaze, met hers. Let the bloody truth of what he'd become sharpen his face. "A thousand years, Caroline. No prayer, no shrine, no bloody carnage left me a clue."

"I will not apologize," Caroline told him imperiously, but then her teeth caught her lip and she swallowed. "I had not heard of you, the rumors of your monsters until recently."

"I was not subtle."

"I preferred solitude."

"You'll show me, these places in the world you call ours," Klaus said firmly.

"They are mine and I will consider it," Caroline returned but she smiled, a brilliant thing of sunshine and laughter.

Voices carried from the house and Caroline stilled, gaze flickering over his shoulder. Not from shyness at their nakedness, but from possessiveness.

His cock twitched, body burning for this slight girl and her golden tongue. Caroline carried a possessive soul, a defiant and burning mind, softened only by her sunshine heart. He would never let her go. Had known it the minute their gaze had caught eons before.

"They are related through my human flesh," Klaus told her, kissing the soft skin of her shoulder. "The first to share death's malady with me. I did not have a pomegranate to carry me into eternity, my love."

"You care for them?" Caroline asked, voice curious.

"They are considerably less trying than the last set of siblings I was forced to share the world with."

Those eyes of war met his again. "I will not forget, what they did to us."

Klaus lips curled, dimples bracketing sin. "Neither have I. Nor will I. Lady Death has not abandoned her kingdom, love. She's simply changed the rules to suit her. This time, I will not share you."

Caroline blinked, expression thoughtful. "Death is less forgiving than even I."

"The gods sleep. For now."

Caroline smiled, a slow terrible thing that had once left a kingdom trembling, a world silent in fear. Beloved was his Queen, but her name was feared. "I would like to meet this family, these generals."

"Who am I to deny you?"

A slanting look filled with decadence and want. "Then I just want you."

Klaus stood, pulled her with him. "You've always had me."

"Do not leave me again." A hard, biting command, the faintest vulnerability behind her eyes. Young no longer, his Queen.

"Not if I have to burn all the stars from the sky." His words were a promise, given from a soul born near the beginning of time. From which life had been created and kept safe. No more.

"It may come to that," Caroline whispered, eyes glancing to the heavens. "They will not take kindly to our bargains when the world broke."

"Death comes to all. Her price will be high, when the old things in the world decide to stir."

"They will."

He kissed her palm. "Not today."

"No, not today." Caroline agreed. The she gifted him with another smile. "Show me our home."

* * *

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	4. Down in New Orleans

willowaus: Caroline showing up in NOLA wanting to see if Klaus' voicemail enticement really holds up in reality.

* * *

Sorry this took so long, hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 _Culture, art, food - so far, I've seen a lot of bared breasts and revelry. Although the Museum of Art was nice. Suggestions?_

* * *

Caroline hands were fisted in Klaus' curls, mouth open and aggressive. Her tongue swept across his lips, slick and hot, chasing the lingering flavors of blood and whiskey. He groaned low in his chest, hands possessively gripping the curve of her ass, fingers digging in as her hips rolled.

Slamming her spine into the wall, Klaus ground into the curve of her body, the lean lines of him trembling as Caroline wound her legs tightly around his waist; vampire strength grinding bones. His hands left her ass, one tangling in her wild curls, the other fisting at her neckline to tear the flimsy fabric away from her lace clad breasts.

Except she wasn't finished with his mouth. Caroline dragged her nails along his scalp, refused to let him move, let her fangs brush across his lip; her tongue soothed the hurt, licked the hot drops of blood. A low, rumbling noise from Klaus' chest and she opened her eyes to look at the lust, the utter devotion watching her in turn.

* * *

Klaus found her an hour after her text.

Caroline had stood in the shadows of the city, embracing the wild revelry of Mardi Gras and sent the message on a whim. She'd always planned on contacting him. She'd stopped lying to herself about the attraction - that magnetic pull - years before.

Twenty-fours hours was a blink. Just enough time for a taste, to be bedazzled by dimples and charm. Caroline missed Klaus; he'd made it clear he wanted her. Fifty years stretched between their last meeting, sat comfortably on her shoulders. She'd never regret them. Although part of her couldn't help laughing, wistful that of all the men in her life, Klaus was still the only one that understood her.

The girl that'd wanted Prince Charming decided on something completely different. You couldn't tarnish a nightmare, couldn't ruin what was embraced so completely; Klaus would not change for her, but would love her regardless of her own changes.

Wasn't that something?

New Orleans wasn't his home base any longer. A thousand years of running, and his wanderlust was a thirst. Still, he'd mentioned in that last ridiculous texting thing they did every so often, that he'd be here.

A dare.

One Caroline doubted Klaus thought she'd take him up on. She'd ignored his hints about the Carnival in Venice; she'd deliberately done the exact opposite of anything he'd offered her over the years. She stood in her apartment, rolling her eyes at his brand of texting and… paused. Thought about that first voicemail. His second offer, but that first real attempt to stay in touch.

And really, she'd decided years ago that she wanted him. He'd drawn himself along her skin in patterns shaped like bruises, left behind marks with his lips and tongue the burrowed into her bones. Klaus had walked away; left her behind, with no backward glance, but left her breadcrumbs should she want them. Caroline wanted to know if he still adored her. But not without a plan and until he mentioned Mardi Gras, nothing had clicked.

Caroline surprised herself. She caught a plane with nothing but her identification and a phone, waltzed into New Orleans and breathed in the chaos and color with a laugh. Because it was freeing, to make this choice.

She'd bought - compelled - the first sunshine dress that caught her eye and explored. Part of her was curious if Klaus would crash her little tour, how close of an eye he was keeping on her. The rest of her wanted to see this city - one of the few she'd never allowed herself to consider visiting.

She ate too much food. Roamed galleries. Laughed with the street performers.

And as dusk fell, parties started in earnest. Red-stained lips caught between her teeth; she typed out her single text. Mouth curled in private amusement, Caroline hit send and then powered her phone off. There was always the possibility that he'd send her suggestions; in the morning she'd turn her phone on to one of his curious lists (she might've ignored his suggestions, but she'd written them all down, kept them in a notebook for someday).

Smile wide, Caroline slipped back into the throng of humans and supernaturals, mingled and danced through the crowds and parades. Snacked a little, to taste that flamboyance, that joyous laughter on her tongue. Twisting into a lull, a quite pocket of energy, was hardly surprised to see Klaus.

Dark shirt, dark jeans and those damn necklaces that her skin missed - his gaze burned a covetous line down her body. Caroline arched both brows, letting her gaze linger. Smiled until her cheeks hurt.

"I didn't interrupt something important?" Caroline questioned, smile deepening when those feral eyes returned to her face.

He didn't bother walking was just there, fingers brushing along the soft skin of her jaw. Then, only then, did his dimples cut along his cheeks - the predator softened by an emotion she couldn't read. But he wore his hunting smile, now that she'd come to him; watched her with glittering eyes.

"Caroline - welcome to New Orleans."

And she let the monster under her skin glimmer behind her eyes, sharpen her smile. Watched those flecks of hybrid gold lighten the blue of his gaze. "You said you'd show me around."

"And what would you like to see?" Klaus murmured, gaze lingering on her lips.

"Everything."

* * *

Caroline dug her hands into the hot skin of Klaus' back, dragged her nails down the flesh and bone of him. Licked that spot on his neck that made him moan; tried not to laugh when she found herself deposited on the expanse of his bed; dress fluttering to the floor in golden ribbons.

"That's all I had to wear," Caroline drawled, even as her hands reached for the band of her bra.

"You have to many clothes on," Klaus said roughly as he finished removing his pants. "You won't need any of them."

"You know, I planned on only staying for a day," her teasing words were cut off as he slid his hands under her thighs, pulled her panty glad hips straight to his mouth. Caroline gasped, his name tumbled from her lips as he teased her; the heat of his mouth a fleeting pressure through lace.

Klaus lifted his head, ignored her whine of protest, eyes dark. "If you can walk in the morning my love, then I'm going to be very disappointed in myself."

He smoothed his hands across her legs, started a slow path of lingering kisses up her stomach. "Tomorrow, I want to wake you with kisses down you spine - hear you make those little noises of complaint before you sink your fangs into my wrist; wrecked and pleasure-sated, starving for more than just blood."

Caroline shivered as his tongue dipped into her navel. "You have this all planned out."

Klaus laughed; breath exhaled over damp skin. "Fifty years, Caroline - with only the memory of your taste, the feel of my cock inside you to drive my fantasies. If I let you out of bed in a week, it may be too soon."

"A week?" Caroline choked, even as her hands threaded through his hair, spine arched as he kissed the curves of her breasts.

A lascivious smile, dimples bracketing sin. "I did promise you art."

* * *

"So you're Caroline."

She turned, cradling a drink that was some mixture of blood and booze that left her feeling buzzed. She was going to have to wheedle the recipe out of the tattooed vampire behind the bar, before Klaus ate him. The bartender's gaze had barely left her cleavage; much to Klaus' annoyance.

But this vampire she hadn't seen before. Dark skinned and gorgeous, she arched both brows. "I'd remember if we'd met."

A smile that was amazingly genuine crossed his face. "I'm Marcel."

"Oh," she offered her free hand and matched his grin. "I've definitely heard of you, although it was mostly during the occasional swearing fit."

Marcel laughed. "That sounds about right."

"Come now, mate - you had us both up to our eyeballs in witches." Klaus chided, thumb coming to swipe a smear of blood from his lip. Caroline watched him lick it off with dark eyes. "There are fates worth than death."

"You're exaggerating," Marcel said, dark eyes laughing as he shook his head. "A few dozen witches is hardly the worst you've dealt with."

Caroline tilted her head, studying Klaus' satisfied smirk. "Did you eat that bartender?"

She turned, looked across the crowds of people to peer at the bar. It was missing one tattooed vampire but they also had breaks. Scowling at Klaus, she rolled her eyes at his nonchalant shrug.

"Klaus!"

"Sweetheart - I was standing right there. It was a favor really, that sort of lack of self-preservation could have led to a much messier death."

Caroline scoffed, before draining her drink; then she stole his. "I cannot even right now."

"I'll make it up to you," Klaus drawled, eyes skimming the curves of her chest. The heat of his gaze felt like a caress, and her nipples tightened behind her bra.

"How'd you get stuck with him?" Caroline asked Marcel, turning away from Klaus to hide the slight quirk of her lips; the flush along her neck. Fifty years had done nothing to lessen the potency of this man.

"I'm adopted."

She paused, drink near her lips. "What?"

Klaus pressed against her back, stole a sip from the glass still suspended near her face. She obligingly leaned against his chest as his hand stroked her hip, staring at this laughing vampire with bemused eyes.

"I raised Marcel," Klaus told her, words murmured against her neck. She bit her lip to hide a shiver, felt his lips curve anyway.

"But he seems so normal," Caroline said a little breathlessly, and jumped when Klaus lightly pinched her hip.

"Now you're just being mean," Klaus chided before pressing a hot kiss behind her ear. Caroline jolted at the sensation, took a quick drink when his tongue flicked across her skin.

God, his lips on her neck were temptation. If Marcel hadn't looked away with that air of put-upon amusement, she might've leaned back and moaned just a little; to feel his hand tighten on her hip, listen to his breath catch. Instead, she stepped out of his embrace.

"We should compare notes sometime," Caroline told Marcel, smiling as she set her glass down.

"Going somewhere, love?" Klaus asked, gaze narrowed.

"I'm going to dance - you're not invited." Caroline said firmly. "Your drink was terrible."

"Hardly my fault."

Caroline tossed her hair, sauntered to the mosh pit of bodies. "You ate my chance at a decent replacement."

Marcel laughed, "I like her."

* * *

Caroline sobbed out a moan, hands fisted in the sheets; unable to keep from keening, a high, sharp noise as Klaus kept her just off the edge of orgasm. She'd forgotten how good he felt, the lean lines of him pressed against her spine as he slowly worked his cock in and out of her desperately clenched body. He'd already driven her through one orgasm with his hands, lips pressed against her ear as he murmured filthy promises.

He was fulfilling all of them.

Forehead pressed against the mattress, spine arched as she desperately tightened around his next thrust, Caroline begged.

"Please. Please, please, please. Klaus."

"I love you like this," Klaus rasped, hips pausing. "I've dreamed of you; the slickness of your flesh, how you you sound screaming my name."

"Do these dreams include me having an orgasm?" Caroline asked, shuddering as his hand tweaked her nipple.

His teeth scrapped her shoulder, one hand braced against the mattress, the other sliding down her arm. Fingers stroked hers, and then he tugged lightly. Caroline moaned, shifting her arm for better support as he dragged her hand up and down her abdomen. Her eyes popped open when he brushed her clit with her fingers.

"Slowly," Klaus coached, voice ragged and hips moving as he continued to guide her hand. "Slowly."

Caroline pressed her face into her arm, heaving for air as Klaus rocked into her, his hand forcing her to maintain the slow pace along her clit. She skated that edge, straining for just a little more pressure, a slightly better angle. Klaus growled into her hair, trembling with strain.

The sharp, unexpected feeling of fangs and her fingers pressing hard against her clit sent her careening hard. Silent, body arching desperately into his, Caroline shuddered through her orgasm; slumped boneless as Klaus groaned through his, blood hot down her neck and breast.

Hot, velvet strokes of his tongue licked at the mess on her skin. She parted heavy lashes as he rolled her over; she stared at sex mused hair, the flush of his cheeks. He smiled - a gorgeous nightmare with bloody fangs and yellow eyes. Her gut clenched, fresh arousal startling her.

"Pretty little vampire," Klaus breathed, bending to lick at her breasts, the rust at her nipple. Caroline whimpered, hands curled along his back. He sucked on her aroused flesh, grazed with his teeth, until her nails dug into his skin.

"I don't remember your refractory period being this short," Caroline gasped, arching closer to his mouth.

Klaus lifted his gaze, eyes glittering with amusement. "The woods don't offer the same comfort as my bed, love. To wreck you the way I intend, you'd have had a much more difficult time explaining."

"Big words."

The world tilted, and Caroline found herself sinking back onto his cock with a gasp; the sensitive tips if her breast pressed against his chest, knees bracketing his hips. Klaus moaned low in his throat; lips searing along her jaw.

"You need a bite, love."

He tilted his head, offering his neck and Caroline sank her fangs in greedily. Klaus filled her senses - hot and lush on her tongue, she moaned as the bloodlust left her swimming. Klaus rolled against her, and she shuddered at how fast she was chasing another orgasm, clinging to his shoulders as she drank.

Her hips ground down into his, and his fingers slipped between the slide of their bodies. Klaus moaned as she bit harder, his fingertips almost rough against her clit as she came.

Klaus arched into her orgasm; filthy words she didn't understand snarled into her skin as he followed her. After a long moment, he tilted them over; so that she was pressed along the length of him, heaving for air.

"The bed," Caroline finally said minutes later, fingers slowly dragging through his curls. "Is a definite improvement."

Klaus chuckled, kissing her shoulder and neck before turning his head to look at her. Eyes warm, glittering with something old, something she couldn't read, he stroked a wild curl away from her face. "Agreed."

Caroline stretched, relishing the slid of skin. "Don't look so smug."

He kissed her; rolled her beneath him. Smiling against her parted lips, he bit at her mouth before he lifted his head. "A challenge sweetheart?"

Caroline scoffed, flicked his chin with her nails. "Hardly."

Dimples bracketing a curling smile, he brushed his nose along hers. "Good. We're not done yet."

* * *

Dancing was exhilarating.

Dancing knowing Klaus watched made her feel powerful. She knew exactly what she was doing with each move; throwing herself into the beat, letting the sweat, the air of excitement char along her skin. Laughter and foreplay, dancing like this was just a long tease.

His body against her was better. The way Klaus fitted them together, the curve of his body a perfect cradle. Twisting, arms winding around his neck, Caroline held that feral gaze with her own; stroked his hard planes with her curves. Matched his intent gaze with her smile.

Hand sliding though his hair, Caroline leaned in close - letting the want, the adoration in his eyes go to her head. Lust and need thudded through her veins with each beat of the drum.

"When are you taking me home?"

Klaus went still under her questioning gaze, the thin ring of blue around his pupils turning nearly incandescent. "Is that what you want?"

Caroline kissed him. Pressed her greedy mouth against his welcoming lips and drank in the taste she'd remembered for fifty years. Stroked her tongue along his, rocked their hips together until his hands left bruises on her waist. Pulling back, she chased the lingering taste of him with her tongue.

"What does everything mean to you?" Caroline purred, teeth dragging against her lip.

Klaus laughed, one hand sliding into her hair, the other cupping the curve of her ass possessively. "Oh sweetheart, how I adore you.

* * *

"I kept your notes."

They were spooning, Klaus tucked tightly against her spine. She'd finally begged for a break; limp and sated through the marrow of her bones. Klaus smiled against her skin, rolled her comfortably against his chest. Every part of her was cuddled as close as he could manage and she found she didn't mind.

"Notes?"

Drowsy, the monster under her skin content, Caroline laced their fingers and hummed. "Your lists - for the places you wanted me to visit."

"You always did the opposite of anything I suggested," Klaus said softly, confusion thick in his voice.

"I was waiting for you."

His breath hitched against her neck and then she was on her back, staring up at him. He looked wrecked - hair a wild mess of curls, lips kiss swollen and red, pupils blown. Klaus leaned close, gaze absorbing every line of her face.

"What are you saying?"

Caroline cupped his jaw, smiled at him. "I fell in love with you years ago, Klaus. Somewhere between those ridiculous texts and that damn bracelet."

His eyes slid shut; body perfectly, inhumanly still. Then he nodded once before his lashes parted, gaze wolf-gold. "Two weeks."

"Two weeks for what?" Caroline asked in confusion, brows tucked together. Uncertainty crawled through her veins as he didn't address her confession. Just watched her with a pit open behind his eyes, swallowing her.

Klaus parted her thighs and pressed the head of his erection again her; his gaze held hers as he slowly pushed inside her; eyes coveting as her head rolled back with a whimper. "I'm keeping you here, in this bed with me, for two weeks."

"That's… ambitious," Caroline gasped as he tilted her hips for the angle he wanted before he thrust. "Even for you."

He released her nipple when her voice broke, hands tugging at his hair as she writhed under his body. Pressings lips to her shoulder, he moaned as she tightened in an exquisite vice.

"We're just starting, Caroline," Klaus ran a hand down her ribs, soothed even as he rocked into her; lashes fluttering. "If you think I'm going to do less than brand my presence along your skin, wring every possible drop of pleasure from you - you're not paying attention sweetheart."

Caroline parted her lashes as he suddenly stilled, a whine of protest catching in her throat. Klaus brushed her lips with his thumb and the monster watched her.

"You came to me. I'm never letting you go."

* * *

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	5. Beneath Your Skin Part 1

Caroline considered her new apartment, and took a slow breath. Eyes closing, she let herself relax. Seattle wasn't ideal, but it was a welcome break from New Orleans. She knew her old phone was probably collecting text messages, most of them from Rebekah, but she'd lost it somewhere between Phoenix and L.A.

If only she could stop dreaming.

She stared down at her silver bracket, wrapped in protection spells. It was a bit of a gag gift from Bonnie Bennett, and one she knew worked. So she didn't understand how he kept finding her. She hoped it was just her subconscious replaying the sex - showing her a few fantasies - but when running from an Incubus, you couldn't take chances that hot wet dreams were just that.

She just needed a little time, to re-guard her heart, slap those mental and emotional barriers in place. Because, God, he'd wrecked her. It didn't particularly matter that that first time had been to save their lives.

"Wait, what do you mean they took Klaus?" Caroline questioned, brows furrowed. Rebekah scowled at her, the monster sharpening the lines of her face.

"Davina is looking into it," the Original Vampire said icily. "It looks like there might be a loophole or two in the protections around him."

Caroline had picked up a few bits and pieces since she found herself in New Orleans fifty years before, a brand new vampire and completely lost. What she knew was that when Esther had tried to change her family, she hadn't awoken the werewolf in her son as presumed, but something even more dangerous.

Incubus might've meant that he could drop the panties of whomever he pleased at five hundred paces, but Klaus was a weapon. Anyone who looked at those dimples and didn't accept that died. He used that charm, the blatant sexuality and false consideration to rule, all of it backed by his vampire siblings, the strength his demon blood leant him. Her first week in New Orleans, she'd watched him cheerfully seduce a young man with his eyes and smile, before pulling his intestines free from the gaping hole in his abdomen.

Stunned at the display of violence, she'd frozen when those terrible eyes had caught hers. Caroline felt the impact of his gaze down her spine like honey, but sex and stupidity had changed her into a monster. She wasn't going to be stupid enough to let a second monster crawl inside her chest and rip away parts she couldn't get back a second time.

Two days later, she'd found herself a little dumbfounded and employed by Rebekah Mikaelson.

"I have two rules. Don't fuck up and don't fuck my brother. You do either of those, and I'll leave bits of you along Bourbon Street like confetti."

"Define what you consider fucking up," Caroline replied, tongue loose from the shock of that morning.

Cool, blue eyes met hers, a razors edge behind the startling age of her. "Would you like a list?"

"Yes, actually."

Rebekah paused, canted her head to the side and shrugged. Spinning on perfect heels, she headed to the door. "You might live through the week, then. I expect you and your things at the house tomorrow."

She'd shown up and carved a life for herself. For the first decade or so, her dealings had mostly been with Rebekah but as she gained some age - a few skills - Klaus started appearing in the peripherals of her work. Caroline kept her dealings with him short, refusing to forget what lurked beneath the charm of him. The key to dealing with an Incubus she learned was just to accept the way she reacted to him. That unexpected flush, the heat that always lingered after a conversation. Accept it, refuse to be embarrassed by it, and get the job done.

She'd actually learned to like him, a little.

Klaus had an amazingly dry sense of humor, behind that devil's smile. Once or twice, she thought he might have flirted with her, but she brushed that off as habit. So what if she felt his eyes on her, thought she could almost feel the brush of power along the back of her neck?

But in her fifty years, she'd never seen so much worry in Rebekah's eyes. As a demon, part something else, there were certain set of rules. She knew he'd been summoned a few times by covens and that the slaughter had been excessive, even by vampire standards. Most learned not to try it, and the loopholes had been carefully closed by covens who if not loyal, were at least fearful of the Originals.

"It's been three days," Caroline said slowly.

"Davina and the Bennett witch will be here in an hour. Be prepared to help them with whatever they need."

She'd called Enzo. Caroline might've somehow become the liaison for the majority of North America, but Europe was Enzo's territory. She didn't begrudge the laid back vampire the power, he mostly dealt with Elijah. Rebekah might have been a ruthless brat, but that old world stuffiness left her off kilter. Thankfully, Rebekah and Klaus traveled to Europe far more than Elijah came stateside.

"Thanks for the heads up, doll." Enzo said quietly into the phone. "I imagine Bekah is on the phone with Elijah now."

"What happens if we don't find him?" Caroline asked, taking a moment to pause from the number of things that needed to be done.

"War."

"How bad?"

"The last time someone messed with our founding family, it re-shaped the supernatural world. There's a reason most of the supernatural behaves itself."

Caroline wrinkled her nose. "Define behave?"

"Kol hasn't been around your parts since before you were turned. If you ever see him, Bekah and Klaus together, it means trouble. Elijah usually keeps an eye on things from a distance, but you remember what happened when that little traveler cult tried to abduct the vexing Katerina?"

"I'll see what I can do to hurry Davina and Bonnie along."

"I'll touch base with Marcel," Enzo offered. "Incubus magic is odd, so those closest to Klaus - or those he considers his - might have a shot at helping track him. Marcel is both."

"How so?"

"Devil's bargain love. Ever noticed how his skin shimmers, when you're looking at him out of the corner of your eye? That's power. Don't know the details - don't want to - but Marcel is bound to Klaus as assuredly as the rest of the family. Demons are possessive bastards."

"Thanks, I appreciate the help."

"Later, doll."

She'd spent the next twenty-four hours doing what she did best. Organizing, bullying and pointing Rebekah's particular brand of crazy in the direction it needed to go. The fact that everything had gone to shit - the spell warped by betrayal inside Davina's coven - should have just been a blimp. A starting point for Plan F.

Except she'd been dragged into the magical vortex, yanked through whatever summoning ritual had been corrupted. The only thing that had saved her had been the malady in her veins. The cold and the shock would have killed a human, but Caroline was a monster.

Who woke trapped in cell with starving Incubus.

"Ssssh," Klaus murmured as she slowly came too. Lashes fluttering open, she glanced around the emptiness of thief prison. Her lashes moved for an entirely different reason when she realized his thigh was cushioning her cheek, long fingers tangled in her hair. "You've been unconscious for a few hours."

"Klaus?"

"Who else?"

"At least you're not dead," Caroline breathed. She gave herself a moment to mentally brace herself. Then she gingerly sat up and looked at the demon next to her.

Klaus was pale, cheekbones sharp against his face. He looked fevered, skin flushed against the pale and she frowned. "What did they do to you?"

"Starvation," Klaus shrugged, iron behind his eyes. "They've been very careful, to take my power in small bites. In another day or two, they'll bring in a little virgin, try to trap my power."

"How does that work, exactly?"

"Blood isn't always enough," Klaus said simply.

Caroline shot him an exasperated look. "I'm perfectly aware of your feeding habits. Are we at the point where blood is enough to get you back to full strength or are we talking full on orgy here?"

Klaus snorted, but a ghost of a smile curved his lips. "Hardly an orgy love, although those can be a delightful banquet."

"Don't call me that - why a virgin?"

"Kol's idea of a practical joke," Klaus drawled, his expression turning annoyed. "As if any monster would choose a virgin if given a choice. He once convinced an entire village to give me their pure daughters, I was drowning in hysterics."

Caroline smiled despite herself, biting her lip hard to stifle the laugh in her throat. She froze as Klaus' eyes went nearly black at the motion, bright glimpses of gold hot in his pupils. The sudden surge of his hunger a tangible heat between them.

"How much trouble am I in?" Caroline breathed, clearing her throat to steady her voice. "How long until your captors return?"

"I won't touch you." Klaus said tightly, even as his tongue dragged along his lip. Caroline was perfectly aware that Klaus didn't need to touch her to stroke her arousal, knew how he could play power and words against senses that had nothing to do with touch. Under the right seduction, she'd no doubt he could talk her into touching herself for his greedy eyes.

Still, that was the difference between a full meal and a snack. Caroline gave him a flat look. "We both know you're the best chance of getting us out of here. But I'm also really aware of your feeding habits, as I've dealt with your left overs."

Those heavy lidded eyes caught hers, and her stomach fluttered with awareness as he watched her. "It's not always like that, but I'm afraid that I'm lacking my usual finesse. I'll need you to orgasm, Caroline. More than once. And once I've exhausted you, I'll take my own pleasure. Are you sure you want to do this?"

The small hairs on the back of her neck lifted. There was nothing seductive about him, none of careful facades that he wore to charm and beguile. This was stark, his hunger laid bare, but it was the glitter burning behind his gaze that left her pulse rapid.

"Do I want to have sex in a dank, little cell that smells awful? No. But I'm also pretty sure I don't want to end up dead - I hear it's pretty boring. My teenage self had sex for worse reasons."

"Take off your shirt."

Caroline scrunched her nose, but reached for the buttons of her blouse. "I'm not really fond of orders."

Klaus reached for her, eyes lingering on her face even as her shirt landed softly on the floor. "No?"

"Let's call it a quirk."

He laughed, the noise low and touched her chin with careful fingertips. "This is not how I imagined things."

Caroline glanced around. "Yeah, rescue in the form of orgasms. That's new for me too."

"Not what I meant. Caroline, this will go easiest if you drink my blood."

"Why?" Caroline questioned as she found herself tugged onto his lap. She stilled a little at the hard line of his erection, the heat of his body warming her cool skin. She'd never been this close to Klaus, never sat cradled by his hands; the temptation of his face so near hers.

"Sweet little Caroline," Klaus murmured, chest moving under her hands as he drew in a deep breath. "We don't have the time you deserve for foreplay. My blood is potent."

"Vampire high," Caroline muttered. She reached up, cupped his face and ignored the heady rush of touching him. He smelled like the cell, but underneath that was Klaus. Klaus who always left her uncomfortably aroused and who watched her with burning eyes. "You will tell Rebekah that this was life or death."

Then she kissed him. Opened her mouth against his, bit lightly at his lips. Klaus made a low, rumbling noise in his chest; Caroline hummed in pleasure as he parted his lips, but instead of delving into his mouth, she sank her fangs into his lower lip until she tasted blood.

It hit her in a rush, a lush high. Hands fisting in his curls, she rolled her hips against the line of his cock until they both moaned. She pulled back once her head started to spin. Lashes fluttering, Caroline whimpered when he palmed her breast.

"Oh, God."

A rusty laugh against her cheek. "I warned you, love."

Then he gave her no time to think, hand sliding under her skirt to glide along the slickness of her; two fingers pushing into the clamp of her muscles. He groaned even as his thumb worked her clit roughly. Caroline clutched his shoulders, aroused by the taste of him lingering on her tongue, the feel of him under her hands.

"Look at you," Klaus murmured into her ear as she rocked against him. "If we'd the time, I'd have peeled your clothes off slowly - traced your skin with my tongue. Watched your beautiful face as you melted into my sheets."

Caroline shuddered, moaning into his shoulder. "I don't trust your sheets."

He smiled against her and curled his fingers. Her orgasm caught her by surprise, and he made a pleased, hungry noise as she came down. When she lifted her head, some of the edge had left his face and his eyes were locked onto her lips.

"One."

To be honest, Caroline lost track after that. They were restricted by the room, but by the time he slid her to hands and knees, pushed the fullness of his cock inside her she was nearly senseless. He murmured words she didn't know against her skin, each moan and whimper tightening his hold on her waist, her breast. She dug her nail into the hard floor and could only take the pleasure singing through her veins. He came shortly after her, his arm somehow keeping her from collapsing.

"My pretty Caroline," Klaus breathed as he helped her settle in a more dignified position against the wall. She watched him as he carefully tucked her back into her shirt. "Next time I'm going to have to insist we use a bed."

Caroline grunted a response and he laughed. She opened her eyes as she heard someone approach, parted her lashes to catch the wicked smile that curled his lips.

"Let's get you a meal," he murmured before standing. She watched as his demeanor changed, breathed in the scent and feel of him that crawled along her skin. The guard (witch?) who approached had no chance, face stunned before going lax at the sheer draw Klaus was exuding. Caroline watched as he reeled the youth in with his dimples and voice; watched as Klaus stroked a line down his throat, brushed his hand down a shoulder. Coaxing, smile hot he waited patiently for the door to open.

"You make an excellent honey-trap," Caromine drawled as he dropped the dead, still warm body next to her.

"Does it bother you?" Klaus questioned, head tilting as Caroline rolled to her knees; fisting a hand in his hair she bit down deep into his throat and drank her fill. Lifting her head, she kept her monster face as she stood.

"The first time I saw you, you were showing someone their guts. After that, needing sex to feed was a lot less traumatic."

She looked at him when he was silent, something unreadable on his face. She'd have called it want, but it was too dark for that and ridiculous. They'd just had sex - pretty good sex for someone starving and the conditions of the room. There was no way he wanted her again.

"Now what?" Caroline prompted, watched him catch himself. Klaus smiled at her, eyes bleeding gold, incisors sharp behind his lips.

"Now we gorge."

They had. By the time they'd staggered out of that dank, ruined home the walls and floors were stained black. The scent of death almost covered the lingering remains of sex on their skin. Outside, it was clear they were just outside of New Orleans city limits.

They were home within an hour.

She could have handled the knowing smirks directed at her from the others. ("Look, Care, we don't know why the spell grabbed you - it should have grabbed Rebekah. How well do you know him exactly?") Admitting her new, biblical knowledge of Klaus was one thing. Even Rebekah's narrow- eyed irritation was nothing new.

But it was the after.

It was waking with Klaus' hot tongue between her legs, his mouth everything he'd promised in that filthy cell. It was the long, lazy way he drew his power along her skin and made her beg. The absolute indulgence of his body against her sheets, the way he feasted on each moan, each of her body's and tongue's demands. Until she was drowning in him, until her bones melted, body completely sated.

It was waking a second time alone, reaching for skin and finding only cool sheets. It wasn't that she thought Rebekah would actually turn her into confetti (not anymore), but the cold realization that what she'd always pushed aside as lust, wasn't. You didn't grumble into naked skin, tease with both words and fingertips, linger against someone's lips for lust.

She'd thrown a bag together and slipped outside in under fifteen minutes. It wasn't until she hit the freeway that she called Enzo.

"I hear you saved the day and got laid. Not my type, sweetness, but good job."

"I'm leaving New Orleans."

"Caroline," the teasing dropped from his tone. "What are you doing?"

"I have everything you need in the shared drive, okay? Nothing major, just a couple of weeks but you should be able to handle it."

"Caroline - this isn't a smart idea."

She hung up and floored it.

She picked Seattle because it gave her space and the vampire population was small. She'd planned to take a month or so for some breathing space, put together her dignity and then call Rebekah. She knew she'd have to grovel, but she'd hoped a few weeks to get perspective would blunt some of the fall out.

Then the dreams had started.

Innocent enough, they started as what was easily brushed off as memories. Little snatches of the hot, bone-melting sex in her bedroom. Since she'd absolutely refused to think about Klaus, her and Klaus, or any combination of that she hadn't been surprised that she was dreaming.

Then she'd woken with her spine arched, throbbing through an orgasm. She could almost taste Klaus on her tongue, feel the imprints of him lingering on her skin. She'd showered, stripped her bed and decided that a few days of no sleep wouldn't hurt her.

That was three days ago. She figured she had another before she'd really need a nap. Rubbing her face, she froze when her front door opened and Klaus walked through, key held tightly between his white knuckled hand.

They stared at each other, the silence deafening. He looked good, under the edge of his temper - blue eyes blazing, curls a riotous mess. The way he was watching as he shut the door, fingers sliding the lock made her stomach jump.

"You look tired, love. Been avoiding me?" His voice was a low rumbled, edged in something she couldn't read.

"I suppose it could be worse," Caroline said with a sigh. "Rebekah could have tracked me down instead."

Klaus bared his teeth. "Oh, I imagine my darling sister is hunting both of us as we speak. But I have no intention of being found until you explain why you ran."

Caroline arched both brows and lifted her chin. "I'm not sure that's any of your business."

"Sweetheart," he drawled, pacing closer. "If I'd known you'd planned on running, I would've fucked you into unconsciousness. As it was, you escaped me by minutes."

"There are so many things wrong with that sentence," she snapped. "You don't get to determine when I leave."

"You ran from me."

"I had a traumatic day," Caroline retorted. "I made arrangements for the work to be handled, and while I haven't talked to Rebekah yet…"

He was suddenly close enough to touch and she almost flinched.

"You ran from me," Klaus repeated, words low. "Do you think I'm unaware of your arousal after each conversation? That I don't catch when you tuck those amused smiles away? You care about Rebekah, you rule your minions with an iron fist and I've spent the last fifty years being stonewalled."

"What?" Caroline said, startled. "But…"

"You've managed to ignore my advances for fifty years, and I assure you love, my family has complete faith in your ability to do it for another five hundred." Klaus informed her, fingertips sliding down her throat. "Did you never expect why none of the many admirers have approached you? You carry my scent on your skin, if nothing else. I've made it perfectly clear the pieces I will carve anyone who touches you."

"That.. that doesn't make any sense," She sputtered, backing away. "I'm not - you haven't…"

"I would imprint myself along your bones," Klaus gritted out. "I would bind you with blood and sex, drown you in the pleasures of flesh only I can give you, until you long for me. Until you can think only of me."

Caroline shook her head, pulse hammering in her throat. "Klaus - I know what you are. But I can't… I don't share. And I'm pretty sure monogamy isn't in the cards. I would never ask you to be less."

She knew what it was not to be enough. And regardless of the stunning realization that she wanted this nightmare creature - in a way that had nothing to do with sex - she also knew this wouldn't work. How could this ever work? One vampire couldn't be enough for him.

Klaus closed the distance between them in three strides and cupped her face with his calloused hands. His lips were hot against her forehead, the heat and smell of him temptation. "I need you to very clear right now. You want me."

"Yes," Caroline admitted, eyes glancing away.

His lips were curled, eyes bleeding gold. "And you're unwilling to have me if you have to share?"

Caroline frowned. "Are you laughing me me?"

"Laughing? When the vampire I've tempted for five decades is finally admitting she wants me? That she's possessive enough to demand that I take no other lovers?" Dimples bracketed his smile, the sheer heat of him sliding down her spine. "Oh no, little love. Laughter is the last thing I'm thinking of."

She opened her mouth to respond, but his hands were suddenly on her hips, and she was backed into a wall. He slid his hand to cup her ass, digging in possessive fingers as she shivered.

"Klaus…"

"You're a vampire, love." Klaus murmured in a voice that left her biting her lip. "I can take what I need from you in small, decadent bites. Lick up your pleasure in slow, heated mornings or long nights. So easy to drain a human, to pull the marrow from their bones. But you little love, you're all I need."

Caroline heaved out shaky breath. "You're still a predator."

"As are you," Klaus said with a shrug, eyes lowered to her hammering pulse. "And I will hunt and tear, but I will save the pleasure for you. Tell me, Caroline, have you wondered what my bite would feel like? I know you've heard the rumors, the endless innuendo regarding what I can pump into your veins."

"Now you're just playing dirty," she muttered, fingers tangling in his shirt. "I think every vampire has thought about it."

He kissed her cheek, her chin. "I want you addicted."

"That's hardly healthy," Caroline replied, breath hitching as he pressed his hips against hers, fingers sliding along her waist.

"I don't care," Klaus growled before his head dipped, fangs sharp against her shoulder. She gasped at the pain, the lightning than sang through her veins. Spine arching, Caroline shuddered as he fed, hips rolling desperately against his as she unexpectedly came.

She offered no resistance as he lifted her, carrying her to the bed. Laying her against cotton sheets, he braced his arms on either side of her body, smiled his devil's smile.

"I accept your bargain, Caroline."

That pushed through the lingering pleasure and she pushed up to her elbows. "I didn't make a bargain with you!"

His smile widened, dimples deep. "You carry my blood in your veins, and I carry yours; you've fallen apart in my arms, clamped tight around my cock while I emptied inside you. You demanded loyalty and monogamy, which I have agreed to. In return, I will feast on you. Your pleasure, those arousing noises, the strength of your orgasms. You are mine, Caroline."

She stared at him, face stunned. He shifted his weight, reached for her buttons. Eyes dark as he bared skin, the flush of her breasts, he made a low noise of pleasure.

"And sweetheart, I do so look forward to drawing it along your skin."

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	6. Beneath Your Skin Part 2

His body caged hers; her spine pressed against his chest as he listened to her pant, their fingers laced tightly together. Her knees sank into the mattress with their combined weight, but Caroline hardly noticed. She arched upward, body thrumming from the glide of power across her skin, intimate touches that lingered but offered no friction.

"I can do this all night, Caroline," Klaus breathed into her ear as she trembled, lip caught tightly between her teeth. "Stroke you with hot licks of power. Will you let me tie you to our bed, with silken ropes and feast on your breasts while I brush your clit with intangible fingers?"

Caroline shuddered as he slowly sheathed himself inside her; nipples tweaked, breasts massaged by hands she couldn't see, but burned along her skin.

"Nice party trick," Caroline said, nails biting into his skin, neck arching at the sensory overload. "Yet, I'm still at zero orgasms."

He hummed and soft, burning touches glided across her throbbing clit; his hips moving slowly, invisible hands tilting her hips as he pushed his cock roughly inside her.

"Would you like to come just like this? With nothing more than my cock inside you, my power against your skin. I can make you scream, without even moving."

Caroline panted between parted lips, unable to think clearly enough to respond. For all her sass, he was keeping her so close to that edge that her head was spinning. Invisible fingers plucked at her nipples, ghosted across her lips and his hold kept her unable to do more than tighten around him desperately.

"Move, Goddammit," Caroline bit out when it was clear he was waiting for a response. "Move."

That first thrust, and she gasped. His name and a string of profanity followed the second, by the fifth she was inarticulate with need. Caroline could only absorb each stroke of his cock, body a tightly wound wire.

"Gods, you're delicious," Klaus gasped as she pushed back into him, voice a low wail that caught with each thrust. "Sunshine and honey, your orgasms taste like sunshine and honey. Come for me, little love. Let me taste you; I need you on my tongue."

Her orgasm wrecked her; washed through system in a near painful wave, muscles locking tight. Klaus pushed through the clamp of her muscles, power playing against clit like a touch until he pulled her to him, lips and teeth against her skin as he shook. They collapsed against the bed, a sweaty mess of limbs.

"If I'm shimmering again, you're going to be in so much trouble," Caroline mumbled into the mattress, hardly comforted as he laughed against her spine.

"So grumpy," Klaus told her, brushing his lips against her shoulder. "I like the way my power glints golden on your skin."

"That's because you're a possessive bastard," she sighed, no bite in her words. "These are new sheets, right?"

Blunt teeth nipped her skin. "As if you weren't the one to pick them out."

Caroline cracked one eyes, let a smile curve her lips as he glowered at her. "We were supposed to join Marcel for dinner."

"Dinner was divine."

She flushed, rolled onto her back. "I wanted to ask him how to deal with this stupid glitter problem, does foundation cover it? Besides, some of us need more than good orgasms to sustain us."

Klaus angled his head, smiled. "I believe I offered to let you eat."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "And spend the next half-half hour pleasure dazed and high? I'll never get out of this bed."

"Good."

She poked his jaw, laughed as he chased her finger with his teeth. "So, this non-touching, touching…"

His smile turned wicked. "It makes phone sex far more interesting."

Her head came up and she blinked at him. "You can do that long distance?"

Klaus arched one brow and dimpled. "You wear my power along your skin."

Caroline stared at him, blinking before her eyes narrowed as she realized the connotations of that. "Klaus…"

"A delightful thought, isn't it? You in one of those prim skirts, thighs pressed together; desperately digging your nails into your office chair." He stroked a curl away from her face, watched the flush crawl into her cheeks.

"We're putting down ground rules." Caroline said firmly, trying not to shiver at the way he was looking at her. The way he dragged his gaze down the naked expanse of her body.

"Not tonight," Klaus all but purred before he hitched her thighs around his waist, the hard line of his cock rubbing against her slick entrance.

"Again?" Caroline gasped, hands gripping the sheets as he teased them both by slowly pushing inside her. Until she moaned, muscles an exquisite, slick vice.

"I can fill you like this whenever I want, whenever you need," he rasped as she wrapped her legs around him. "I can press against your skin and linger along your senses, until you're drowning in it, in me."

"You think very highly of yourself," Caroline choked out, obligingly spreading her thighs a little wider. She tossed her head back, moaned as he mouthed along the skin of her abdomen.

"Does it make you hot, Caroline, thinking of all the ways I can make you come?" Klaus licked her stomach, sucked until he'd marked skin. "That I don't even need to be in the room to have you riding my cock, clothes untouched, your delicious body played like the most delicate of instruments?"

She shuddered at the image, the dichotomy of being fucked while looking pristine. He smiled and kissed up her sternum to her clavicle, humming his approval as she ran her hands over his back; nails sharp little stings as he rolled his hips.

"You, bent over one of your filing cabinets, suddenly so full you can't breath? Next time one of your endless admirers is lingering in your office I'll tease you with my tongue, until you forget they're in the room, until you come in soft little waves that leave you relaxed and dazed. And if they were stupid enough to stay and watch, I'll carve out their intestines with my claws, drape the evidence of their stupidity around their necks."

Her nails cut into his skin, body rubbing shamelessly against his. His cock moved in slow, careful movements while his words stroked her.

"That's disgusting," Caroline told him, legs winding tighter around his waist. She rolled into his next thrust, head falling back to show her bare her throat as he deliberately ground their hips together. "Right there."

His lips skimmed her throat, incisors teasing her skin. "I'll take you like this, sweetheart. Slowly, fully until we're are both wrecked with it. Would you like my teeth in your skin when you come, Caroline? The pleasure of my bite lingering in your bones?"

She clenched around him and Klaus slowed his pace, watched her face as she moaned in protest. He kissed her, dragged his lips down her chin and sucked hard on her throat.

"Klaus - don't tease." Caroline finally managed, voice ragged. "I'm so close."

"I know," he soothed, licked her throat. Bit lightly, careful not to break skin. He shuddered at her moan, arousal and need a tight fist in his gut, control nearly gone. "Do you want my teeth, Caroline?"

"Yes."

His lips curled and she tightened her hold, body desperate for the hot burn of his teeth. Just to feel her a bit longer, he teased her with stinging bites, licked along her throat as his cock worked in and out in careful strokes. He waited until her breathed sobbed in her throat; until she scratched at his back, eyes blind with pleasure.

Then Klaus bit into the vein at her throat, drank deep as she came around him. She orgasmed silently, lips parted as her body took him into his own orgasm.

"Goddammit, Caroline. Do you realize how much money this cost me? I may not forgive you for this - couldn't you have held off another decade?"

Caroline woke with a jerk, sheet sliding down her torso as the arm banded around her waist pulled her back down. Blinking rapidly, she scrambled to yank the covers back up, a task made difficult by the incubus stubbornly cuddled into her back.

"Rebekah? I thought you were in New York?" Caroline managed, desperately trying to get her bearings. "Why are you here?"

"I have a major crisis on my hands, including treachery within the damn witches coven and you run… _are you shimmering?"_

Caroline ducked down, shook her head. "No."

Rebekah glowered, teeth audibly grinding. "You made a devil's bargain with my brother? Nik! She's mine!"

Klaus sighed against Caroline's skin, lips warm and lingering against the nape of her neck. "Go away, Rebekah."

"We're still debating the bargain," Caroline said hastily as Rebekah flushed red, temper making her eyes spark. She jumped when Klaus lightly pinched the underside of her breast.

"She's _mine,_ Rebekah, as you well know," Klaus said finally, lifting his head. Whatever his expression, Rebekah pointed one manicured finger in his direction.

"I claimed her first." Rebekah growled. "You always do this! I finally get someone trained and you swoop in with your dick and ruin it."

"Marcel might argue that point, Rebekah, as I raised him." Klaus patted Caroline's hip as she pulled the sheet higher to hide her full body blush. "Even I draw the line at fucking family. As for Caroline, she claimed me."

"Don't you bring me into this," Caroline said firmly from behind the covers. "I did nothing of the sort."

"Rebekah, excuse us, would you? Caroline and I clearly need to revisit a few things."

Rebekah stomped her foot. "No I will not leave. You can bloody well skip your morning orgy and have a liquid breakfast. From the state of you this morning, you indulged more than enough last night!"

"I planned…" Klaus' words cut off thanks to Caroline's elbow. Cheeks still pink, she lowered the sheet.

"Give me half an hour, please. I need a shower."

"Fine. Nik, I swear I will storm in here with half the staff if she isn't in my office with her clipboard in that amount of time. While you might enjoy an audience, I don't think Caroline will."

The door slammed behind her and Caroline wondered if vampires could spontaneously combust. Closing her eyes, Caroline squeaked as she was suddenly pulled back across the few inches she'd gained. She gripped his wrist when his hand slid up her her stomach.

"Klaus, I need to shower."

"Give me fifteen minutes, and yes, we'll both need a shower." Klaus suggested, lips ghosting over her shoulder, free hand teasing her thigh.

"I require more than fifteen minutes to face Rebekah," Caroline protested, voice a little breathless. "She's right, you can't be hungry. Drink a blood bag."

"I'd rather have you," he cajoled, teeth biting lightly against her shoulder as his hand smoothed up her thigh, fingers finding her wet. Caroline shuddered, her nails digging into the wrist she still held. "Morning orgasms are good for you."

"You're a menace," she moaned as her thighs parted, hips rolling against the slow strokes of his fingers. Klaus smiled against her shoulder, shifted his hand to cup her breast until she trembled in his arms; until the movements of her hips became frantic. The he rolled them, smiled at her flushed, panting face.

Savored her.

"I'll let Rebekah know you'll be late."

"What? Klaus!" She started, stopped when he teased her with his cock; rubbing the tip along the wettest part of her, across her clit until they both moaned; until she forget about Rebekah, and the shower, before he sheathed himself.

Caroline's lashes fluttered as he moved, lifting her hips to meet each thrust. Klaus bent and kissed her throat, scraping with incisors just hard enough to break skin. Caroline clenched tight around him, her hands digging into the muscles of his back. He licked at the taste of her until she healed; savored her cries.

Caroline arched against him, her orgasm as wild and delicious as the taste of her. That little, hitching moan as he came inside her more so. Shuddering as he took his fill, he was content to breath against her - this little vampire who was finally where she belonged.

"I'm going to tie you to the bed next time," Caroline said finally, voice a little dazed. "Really, Klaus?"

Klaus snorted, and lifted his head to look at her. Her blood lingered on his lips, flecked against his chin and her gut clenched at the sight, monster crawling along her eyes. He smiled then, a glorious nightmare who was entirely too distracting.

"Fancy your own breakfast?"

Pulling her pleasure numb limbs into some kind of movement, she pushed at his chest. "Seriously? I'm already running late and I refuse to be naked the next time Rebekah comes stomping in here - entourage or no entourage. Move!"

"Would you like help washing your back?" His dimples tempted, blood a siren song.

"You're terrible!" Caroline laughed, but she pushed until he moved and then scrambled off the bed. "No."

"Come now love, I had to offer. You flushed from steam, all pretty pink and wet?"

"Stop talking. I can't hear you - blah blah blah. Stay out of the shower!" Caroline ordered as she shut the bathroom door. She gave herself a moment to absorb what was apparently her new normal and then threw herself into the shower.

Enzo had better have kept her files organized.

* * *

"Now gorgeous, don't growl at me. I wasn't the one digging through your files and touching your things. You should in fact thank me, as I kept the digital copies straight."

"I'm going to kill them." Caroline breathed, eyes taking in the files stacked haphazardly on her desk, filing cabinets left open and loose paper in small stacks. Her beautifully organized office had become a war zone.

"That's surprisingly merciful of you."

"I'm going to rip out their internal organs, rip off their goddamn limbs, grind them into bloody paste, feed it to them and then I'm going to kill them." Her words were bitten out between clenched teeth, hands opening and closing at her sides.

"Ah, there we go," Enzo said in amusement. "Think of the mess, Caroline. I won't be there to clean it up this time."

"Seriously?" Caroline demanded, looking around the remains of what had once been her pristine office. "Did they let wolves in here?"

"No one else would step foot in here," Rebekah said as she breezed in. She paused, blinking at the sight. "Well, this is unexpected."

"Rebekah…"

"Luckily, Kol rooted out the treachery this morning and I don't actually need you." Rebekah continued. "This is a mess. Fix it."

Caroline stared at her, hands curling into fists. Rebekah arched one brow, staring down her nose. Teeth bared, Caroline stepped towards the original but was interrupted by Enzo.

"Hello, sweetness. When are you going to come see me?"

"Oh, it's you." Rebekah sighed heavily. "Why hasn't Elijah killed you yet?"

"Now, sweetness, we both know that you love me. And I'm sure Elijah has considered my death multiple times, but fortunately for us both, Katerina finds me amusing." His voice lowered, tone coaxing. "Admit you miss me."

"Are you flirting with Rebekah?" Caroline demanded, looking at her phone in confusion. "Is that why you've sworn off blondes?"

"I've just been particular," Enzo told her. "Rebekah here keeps shutting me down."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, but a smile curved the corner of her lips. "But crushing your pathetic soul under my boot is fun. I'll make sure you're not disturbed, but do get this cleaned up. And remember, you're both still grounded for another decade."

Caroline sighed as Rebekah flounced out. "Seriously, it was only a fire."

"I think Elijah was offended by the riots, doll. He still twitches when someone mentions it."

"So sensitive, the older ones. They were tiny riots, anyway." Caroline sighed and glanced around the room. "I'm going to transfer you to the office line. This is going to take some time. I'm serious, Enzo. I'm going to have freaking pelts for carpet."

"I look forward to seeing the new decorating scheme when we're allowed out of time out."

"Don't think this gets you out if telling me about Rebekah. Why is this the first I've heard of it? I've drank you under the table enough I feel like this topic should have been mentioned."

"Vampires who are getting sexed up by dimpled Incubus shouldn't throw stones. Come on doll, you look at the mess and I'll cross reference the digital side of things and we'll both get laid after."

"You're doing to tango with someone else while flirting with Rebekah? Are you insane?" Caroline muttered as she transferred the line. "I prefer you mostly dead."

"She's knows where I am if she wants me."

"Seriously?"

"Files, gorgeous."

"Fine, but I'm going to remember this." Caroline warned as she settled for the attentions detailed work.

"Of that, I have no doubt."

They had to go over every file, to check that all flagged documents were still there as well as look for new information. Caroline strongly wished they could just keep everything digitalization, but some information was best kept off servers. And sometimes, as all handwritten note categorized as useless wasn't.

She was bent over the third of four filing cabinets, when she felt the first brush against her thigh. Caroline had been bent over long enough that her back was complaining and even Enzo was starting to flag. Setting her teeth, she just shifted, annoyed and frustrated and so close to committing murder.

So it took a moment to realize that those featherlight touches, the slow stroke against the back of her knees wasn't the edge of her skirt. Pushing up straight, breath catching in her throat, she stared at her shut door. Surely, he wouldn't…

A slow stroke across her abdomen, just inside the band if her skirt clarified that he would. That he was. Her mouth ran dry, body suddenly hypersensitive to each unexpected touch. Caroline was pissed about her files, annoyed at Rebekah and the idea of Klaus dragging the invisible hands along her skin while anyone could walk in was arousing as hell.

"All well, gorgeous? You went quiet."

She swallowed, licked her lips. "I just realized how long we've been at this."

"I'm trying not to look at the clock. Want to take a break? Let a vampire find a snack?"

Heat shifted along her thighs, palms sliding along her skin and Caroline gripped the cabinet with her hands, shivering at the pleasant sensation. Her thighs parted as far as she could manage in her skirt, lashes fluttering as knuckles dragged along the front of her panties.

"Is this a quickie or something a little longer? Because I want this done today, Enzo."

She jumped as her nipples were tweaked, the unexpected feel of it while he was teasing her clit sending heat straight to her gut. Biting down hard on her lip to stop a moan, she determinedly walked to her desk. Ignoring the wobble to her knees, she braced her hands on her desk, breathing carefully through her nose as she reached for the phone to disconnect.

The heat vanished from her skin.

Caroline froze. Ignoring Enzo's protests that he'd learned his lesson, she slowly placed her palms back on her desk. Heat slide down her back, a single fingertip trailing along the bumps of her spine, and she hesitated as she worked through what he wanted.

Phone, on.

Hands on desk.

She should be annoyed, remembering his words from that morning. Knowing this was part possessive display - she'd just spent hours talking with Enzo, was still talking with Enzo. Her bad mood must have been palpable, because no one had bothered knocking at her door since she'd snarled at someone earlier.

But…

Lip caught between her teeth, she swallowed hard. She wasn't annoyed. Caroline would never have considered this second-hand voyeurism to be hot, but she could feel how damp her panties were at the thought, the flush of heat crawling up her neck wasn't all a blush.

"Okay," she breathed, eyes scanning the papers on her desk, looking for anything that might buy her a few moments without needing to responded to Enzo directly. "Are you sure they didn't touch the digital catalog of packs?"

"That's your territory, doll."

"Yeah, well? I'm up to my eyeballs in disorganized paper trails, so go check the last used date and tell me if anything looks off. Weren't you bragging about never forgetting important facts?"

"Now you're just being mean."

Caroline didn't bother to answer, hips rolling because Klaus had replaced the rough stroke of knuckles against her clit with the feeling of his tongue. She had no idea how he managed to alter textures, but it felt amazing. Head tilted back, she struggled to stay quiet and upright.

"Bloody ridiculous, how many files you have here. Do we really need them all?"

"Don't make me hurt you," she managed, voice a little ragged as insubstantial fingers pushed inside her, heat dancing across her skin in random patterns. Enzo grumped back, but all she cared about was the dexterity if the tongue licking at her slit, brushing her clit. The urge to reach for her breasts, slid her hands under her clothes left her trembling.

As if he sensed her thought, he changed the angle of his tongue and soft touches teased her nipples. Swallowing a whimper, she pressed her hands into the desk desperately, but just as quickly as she was arching into that touch, it disappeared. Eyes flying open, she glared at the door and parted her lips to snarl when the unmistakable feeling of Klaus's cock pushed in from an angle that would have never worked physically.

Her knees crumpled. She barely had the presence of mind to hit the mute button as she went down, fingers slapping the buttons loudly. Uncaring that she was on the floor, that she'd banged her tailbone she could moaned loudly at the next thrust.

The angle, the searing heat of him filling her pushed her straight into an orgasm. She came with her nails digging into the carpet, completely uncaring about Enzo's voice droning in the background or that someone might walk in to see her sprawled on the floor with her legs splayed and chest heaving. Staring up at her desk, she shivered at the last lingering stroke against her clit and swallowed.

They definitely needs ground rules.

Pushing to her feet, she fanned her herself, blood still too warm. Caroline froze when realized the phone had gone silently. Flushing for an entirely different reason, she braced herself and I muted the line.

"Take a break, Enzo."

"Will do, and Caroline?"

"Yes?" She questioned, determined to brazen it out.

"Thanks for muting the line, as I personally prefer my guts where they are. How was that orgasm, gorgeous?"

* * *

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	7. Among Our Broken Altars

Another take on the Hades/Persephone myth!

* * *

Caroline woke with a nightmare in her veins. Golden on her tongue, the lingering taste of metallic ambrosia left her thirsty. She could hear the witches, could sense their frustration as they waited for her to wake.

This was supposed to have been her final Spring Break. Her last adventure before she graduated and moved to NYC for her new job. The last three years, she'd secretly tucked money aside, until taking her mom to Greece was something she could afford.

Thankfully, vampires didn't need much sleep or an actual food budget. And after the horror of her high school - Elena being killed, those brief weeks the Originals had stuck around before disappearing? She'd only seen Klaus once, but it had marked her. Those iron filled eyes, the pitiless gaze that judged her and found her lacking. Still, she'd learned not to care what others thought of her.

And now for her all her vampire speed, she'd been kidnapped by a Greek Cult and her mother was dead. Exhausted, body weakened from the magic and ritual, for a moment darkness crept back along her eyes even as she fought it.

Shuddering a breath, she was drowning in flowers. There was power in the lingering darkness behind her eyes, but it was mere memory - something ancient and faded, gone with a laugh and the faintest flicker of sunshine power.

' _The gods lie entombed, little vampire; we dream of our broken stars. Be wary, for my dreams are not the only whispers cast into the world. Death lingers in your bones, life in your veins. Be wary, child of my King, daughter of my Sun.'_

Gasping awake, she rolled to her side and coughed the worst of the pollen, that lingering touch of something old from her lungs. Blinking open her lashes, she stared at the scorched marks of the altar she'd been bound to with vervain ropes while her mother bled over her. Rage welled in her chest, and her monster lunged.

When it was over, she was painted in gore. Lips trembling, she sat next to her mother's body and waited for the sun. She'd lost her ring hours before, and grief and rage were her only company as dawn's fingers crept along the sky.

Those golden rays did not burn.

* * *

She left Greece broken.

She headed to Spain, unwilling to return to the States. Standing on the sandy beach, she'd felt something flicker, a howling of darkness across an ocean. It wasn't the call that frightened her, but the way everything lunged towards it - the blooming of yellow power in her veins.

' _Be wary, for my dreams are not the only whispers cast into the world.'_

Arms tight around her middle, Caroline shivered, teeth chattering for a moment in the sun. She stared across the blue waters. She was still her. Caroline Forbes, daughter of Elizabeth Forbes, who was buried under the olive trees she'd loved. But she wasn't girly little Caroline anymore, the world had changed.

It was so bright. She found herself the happiest in color - the brilliance of dawn, the heavy scent of flowers and the wild laughter of people. She felt magic against her skin, skirted witches and their horrors. Understood balance in a way that even witches would scoff at. Most vampires ignored her, the thirst of her monster concealed by sunshine in her veins.

She was so lonely.

It was something Caroline didn't understand. She missed her mom so much she ached with it, but this set like a chill in her bones. The monster under her skin was near-feral with it at times - when the wind carried that howling, until she could almost taste the power of it. Heart hammering in her chest, fangs burning in her gums, she always fled.

London changed everything.

Caroline roamed the British Museum with curious eyes and a thirst she couldn't explain. A month ago, she'd found and destroyed a cult that had recognized her. Fools. For ten years, she had moved from an uneasy alliance with the power she was given to accepting and cautiously exploring. Her tiny, balcony garden was thriving, and she thought next year she'd try for something more complicated than herbs.

But she was still a weapon, death a companion that lingered in her shadow. More importantly, she was still a monster. That last witch, with her matted curls had been just so willing to talk if she'd just end the pain.

"Hades is hunting you."

Caroline arched one brow, curled her fingers a little tighter around the intestines she gripped between slick fingers. The witch screamed and went even paler. "I'm not prey."

"You were supposed to be an offering," she gasped out. "He's so angry."

She thought of that voice, of all the reading she'd done over the years, trying to understand. Hades had loved his wife. Caroline was still uncertain how gods who were dead and broken were influencing the world, but Persephone hadn't sounded lonely. Just a soft sadness, when she spoke of whispers.

No, wherever Persephone rested, she wasn't alone. So whatever part of Hades were crawling through the world had been stolen, not given. Well, she wasn't an ancient goddess even if she wasn't exactly a vampire anymore either. Whoever carried Hades in their blood could just deal without her.

"You thought bringing ancient power into this world was smart - so much for balance. If you're right and Hades really is somewhere, then I bet he likes vampires, since we're close to death and all. You should probably join us."

She ignored the gurgling screams as she shoved blood down her throat before wrenching her neck. Hours later, the witch woke crying and Caroline stared at her with black eyes.

"If Hades finds you, when he finds you, tell him to hunt something else. I'm not Persephone and I don't need him."

So now she stood among artifacts that should have resonated with those bits of ancient power inside her and she felt nothing. Relief was heady on her tongue. Persephone would have known these works, but to Caroline they were they were just pretty pieces of pottery, interesting history.

She really was just Caroline.

"Hiding among the dead, love?"

Caroline twisted, stared at the man who stood so casually in the doorway to the exhibit, eyes glittering. Blinking in shock, she held her ground but it was a near thing. "Klaus."

Those old eyes narrowed and he paced forward, curls rumpled, his beard hardly softening the hard line of his jaw.

"Caroline Forbes," he murmured and her stomach flipped over at his tone. The wanting that unexpectedly left her flushed. She sucked in a breath as he nearly touched her, and she narrowed her eyes in warning. "Pretty little Caroline. I was not expecting this. Or should I call you Persephone?"

Caroline stepped around him and headed for the exit. "You're an ass."

Laughter brushed her skin as he followed and Caroline shook as she realized that bone deep loneliness was gone. Instead the power under her skin was burning through her veins, the world shimmering out of the corner of her eyes.

"Going somewhere?"

"That's none of your business."

Iron fingers caught her wrist, spun her around and into his chest. She hissed, fangs bared but he merely cupped her face and smiled. "You're absolutely my business, sweetheart. You've run long enough."

Caroline kicked him in the knee, jerked away as he snarled. Tossed her hair, as she stared him down. She remembered what it was like, to be rejected by this man, to be found as nothing more than child.

"I'm not yours," she said flatly, refusing to bend as he straightened. "Whatever you think you know, whatever you think I might be, forget it."

Klaus canted his head, stared at her with amusement. "You can't hide from your blood."

"What's in my blood doesn't need you," Caroline said firmly. She ignored the tightening of his jaw, the blaze of fury behind his eyes. She wasn't a child and her power had been given freely, not stolen through corrupt rituals. "And I don't want you."

He arched a brow, lines shifting to a challenge. "You will."

Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes. "I sincerely doubt that."

Klaus smiled, a slow seduction that left his cheeks creased, his eyes hot with challenge. "Oh sweetheart, I'm looking forward to changing your mind."

She left him, in the hall of dead civilizations.

Refused to admit that part of her looked forward to it too.

* * *

Caroline accepted the mangled wrist, bit down with fangs as she was cradled against a hot chest, soft noises against her ear. The shock of his blood against her tongue shook her. Potent, drenched in a power that was old magic, she moaned.

"Take what you need, love." Klaus murmured low and soft. "I've got you."

She sank her fangs a little deeper in punishment. She'd dealt with the witches, and the werewolf bite burned but didn't poison. But those lingering touches of Morpheus, the curse that had tried to dig into her skin had nearly dragged her under.

' _Be wary, for my dreams are not the only whispers cast into the world.'_

And now, Klaus was in her veins.

They'd played Cat and Mouse, though she never knew who was hunting who. He stalked her across the globe, leaving presents and little insights into who she was and who she wanted to be. Living plants, bright paintings, gorgeous clothes that called to both woman and goddess. She dug in her heels, refused some, kept others and tried to ignore that niggling thought that he was courting her.

Then she'd been abducted. Not the first, not the last but with each beat of her heart he burrowed a little deep. His power pushed away Morpheus, sang through her veins like coming home and she shoved his wrist away with alarm.

She twisted, parted her lips to demand he release her when he kissed her. He licked her lips clean, chased his blood on her tongue and she melted against him. Hunger and contentment hummed in her chest, desire swam through her blood.

But it was the sting of his bite, that hot second of venom that her power burned through like sunshine that had her scrambling free. Eyes wide, body alive and wanting, she stared at him with a heaving chest.

Klaus smiled, licked his lips with his monster's face and Caroline knew she was in trouble.

* * *

Caroline's naked back pressed against the softest of grass, but she couldn't care. Panting, head tossing, she whined as the mouth against her breast released her nipple; whimpered as that talented, talented mouth skimmed down her abdomen and pressed where she needed him the most.

He'd lured her into this garden, tempted her with the softest of lures. Here, surrounded by the sun and his power, she'd let him spring his trap. With each demanding stroke against her clit, each thrust of his fingers she cared less that she'd let him win.

Instead, she clung to him harder; let the storm of her orgasm wash through her. Wrapped her legs around his waist and claimed him too. Klaus reached for her with fangs and stolen power, and she met him and claimed him harder.

"You the most stubborn creature I've met, little love," Klaus told her later, as she laid sprawled on his chest. "Why run?"

Caroline snorted, lifted her head. "Please, I'm worth enough to be wanted for me, not what lingered from a long dead goddess."

"Is that what you thought?" Klaus asked, brows tucked together as he toyed with a curl.

"What else could have possibly attracted you?" Caroline replied in amusement. "I remember Mystic Falls just fine, Klaus. You saw me as nothing but a baby vampire. Then suddenly, I'm worth something."

He shrugged, eyes narrowed. "I noticed you just fine, love. You thought otherwise? You, a creature of death and sunshine? But I've long dealt with the remains of a broken power, and while you were a temptation, it wasn't one I had time to indulge."

"I don't believe you."

He nipped her chin. "There is a reason the witches used you to draw a sleeping goddess' attention, sweetheart. But that's an argument for another day."

Klaus rolled her, ignored her grumbling protest as flowers were crushed beneath their weight. "I have all the time to indulge now, and sweetheart, I have plans."

Caroline smiled at him, cupped his face. "I suppose I'll let you lead, for now."

"You may take me to your heart's content," Klaus said as he kissed down her throat, lingering at her rapid pulse. "Later. Much, much later."

His fangs buried in her throat and she arched, golden power sliding through her blood. Shuddered as he groaned against her skin, body filling hers.

Not all the stars were broken.

* * *

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	8. Lead Me into Temptation

This is a two part drabble series that I wrote. One was a gift for thetourguidebarbie on tumblr.

* * *

"What does it take to tempt you, Caroline Forbes?"

Caroline froze, hands lowering from the messy ponytail she'd been adjusting. Turning slowly, she met the slightly feral look behind Klaus' eyes with wariness. The last few weeks had been full of upheaval, but when was had her life actually been calm? But what alarmed her, what made her stomach jump was this man.

Klaus - who'd been charming, since her breakup; who watched her with eyes that wanted and quirked lips. He stood in the doorway to her room with arms crossed, head tilted as his narrow, glittering eyes devoured her. Caroline caught her lip between her teeth, uncertain as he studied her because for the first time since he strolled in – the sacrifices, forcibly changing Tyler, his recent deal with Elena – his family and hers were in a delicate truce.

Just her. Him.

This unimaginable draw between them.

"You spurn my promises, you ignore my gifts, and you dismiss my art." Pushing away from the doorway, Klaus prowled closer and his eyes dragged down the line of her. Caroline refused to be embarrassed by her cheer camp T-shirt and sweats combination. This was her bedroom, she hadn't invited him in.

"I don't like bribes," Caroline replied, spine perfectly straight.

He paused, smirk curling one side of his mouth. "Sweetheart, we both know that you'd never give up Elena, you proved that most beautifully. And Tyler? My understanding is that is over. I don't need you for revenge, love – seducing you is more of a personal interest. He's a nuisance, not a threat. Oh no, Caroline - this is all about you. But if you'd like, I can bring Hayley's heart to you. In a box."

"No," Caroline said firmly. "I don't want your creepy mementos, your diamonds or you art, okay?"

"What do you want, Caroline?" He demanded. "What will it take for you to give me a chance?"

Caroline shook her head, brows drawn tightly together. She could explain the desire he could stir without trying – she was a teenager, him a near immortal – but his instance on this, on seducing her after he had everything he wanted, it didn't make sense. Not after everything. Tyler biting her, Klaus bargaining with Elena for her life.

"Why are you still here? You got what you want! Elena gave you your deal, Tyler is gone! Can't you be satisfied with that?" She threw out a hand. "It makes no sense."

"You're attracted to me. I see it. The little tells, the hitching hesitation as you walk away - the smell of your arousal." Klaus said, eyes narrowed. "Why deny it?"

Caroline met that gaze head on, refused to flinch. "So? Attraction isn't devotion, it isn't loyalty - I don't want you."

His lips curved, ever so slightly and pushed away from her door – his lungs expanding as he breathed her in. "Oh, I think you do. I think you push me away because of your friends, this misplaced loyalty that you're determined to hold. Perhaps I've been going about this the wrong way.

"Klaus…" Caroline warned, voice sharp.

"Tell me Caroline," Klaus said softly, "are you curious?"

Caroline tensed, eyes narrowing. That tone, that quirking smile told her this was a trap. And God, she could see it. But he stood there, so casually in her bedroom in his long-sleeved shirt that skimmed his shoulders, necklaces dangling around his neck and she felt a little reckless.

"About what?"

"Sex." Klaus drawled, watching her swallow. "Tell me sweetheart, that you haven't looked at me and thought about sex. Hot, dirty, filthy sex - the kind that leaves the sheets torn and sweat-soaked, where you collapse boneless and uncaring afterwards. Have any of your teenage lovers pushed you into that kind of exhaustion, where even your vampirism can't save your bones from melting?"

"Stop tempting me with sex." Caroline finally manage, throat dry. "Just stop tempting me!"

"Now, what fun is that? What harm is there in having a little taste, sweetheart? To give that burning an outlet. We're in the safety of your bedroom - no one here to judge you." He pressed into her personal space.

"Except me." She replied, but she didn't push him away and she didn't refuse him. He lifted her hand, kissed her palm.

"But would you judge yourself, Caroline?" He smiled, dimples just teasing her. "When was the last time someone made you scream? Why not give me a chance, let me show you how good I can make you feel."

She froze, more tempted by this offer than she wished to admit. Catching her lip between her teeth, she stared at him, uncertain. "Except with you, it's not just a onetime deal."

He stroked her cheek. "So you have considered this."

Blowing out a breath, she glared at him. "Stop reading into things."

"What if I made you a bargain," he murmured.

She pulled back, licked her lips. He watched the motion was eyes gone dark, and she tried not to shiver. "What kind of bargain?"

"Give me tonight," Klaus cajoled, lips curving. "And if it goes badly, if you decide I'm not what you want, I'll leave."

"And if I do enjoy myself?" Caroline said slowly. "Then what?"

"We'll negotiate."

"Oh, because that's gone well for anyone."

"Would you like me to paint you a picture, love? Give you the words you seem to need? Is that what it takes to soften you Caroline, do I need to tempt this mind of yours?"

"Klaus…"

"Come now, sweetheart." His grin was daring, eyes glittering. "Aren't you curious?"

"This isn't a good idea," Caroline tried, voice weak.

"Should I go?" Klaus questioned. "Leave you here, wondering? What would I have said and how do I imagine you? We both know you'd think of it - would you wonder tonight as you lay down, slid your hands underneath you clothing and soothe your ache yourself? What's a little indulgence?"

"You seem pretty sure of yourself," Caroline said finally, compressing her lips. "Sex isn't everything."

Tyler had taught her that.

Her spine hit her wall with enough force to rattle her pictures. Caroline froze, slowly taking in her new position. Klaus had lifted her by the thighs, and used his upper body to pin her; the heat of him scalding a line from her hips to her breasts.

"I make no assumptions regarding you, love." He pushed a stray curl back. "Not about your likes, your dislikes. So we'll play a little first."

"I haven't agreed to sex," Caroline said firmly. "Manhandling me doesn't win points."

"Yes," Klaus agreed, lips grazing her chin. Desire, mischief, an all-encompassing lust threatened to drown her. "And I promise, that you'll be the one to initiate."

Caroline eyed him warily. "Oh?"

"I want to kiss you," Klaus murmured lowly, catching her gaze and holding it. Daring her. "There is something to be said for kissing, the slick slide of tongues, the slow burn of arousal that moves from your gut, a crawl of fire that leaves a woman's breasts flushed, nipples tight. Have you thought about kissing me, Caroline? Thought about how I'd seduce you with my tongue - what a thousand years of practice would feel like against your lips?"

Caroline stared at him, swallowing as his gaze lowered, tracing her mouth. So that was what he meant by play. Warm, calloused fingers brushed down her chin, slowly trailed down the line of her throat. She bit her lip, tried not to shiver at the touch. There was something wild behind his eyes and it mixed with a thread of adoration that shook her.

"I want to mark your neck. I'd tease you first - slow, sucking kisses until you parted your lips with sharp, little pants." Klaus skimmed just his fingertips across her skin and she gasped, her body hyperaware of each delicate touch.

"Then I'd bite - drag human teeth along those deliciously sensitive nerves, so you'd moan." Klaus flicked his gaze up to her eyes, smiled. "Would you bury your hands in my hair? Dig into my shoulders with your nails? How badly do you want me to touch your breasts, Caroline?"

Caroline blew out a breath, but stubbornly remained silent. She'd had no idea he could arouse her so easily; the lowness to his tone, the absolute lust darkening his eyes. He hadn't even touched her, just a few careful brushes and she felt flushed. She couldn't help the way her hands dug into his shoulders, wasn't sure she wanted to. His eyes gleamed with the challenge, tongue snaking out to wet his lips, and Klaus continued.

"I've dreamed about your breasts - fantasized about them under my hands, my tongue." Klaus fingers stroked her hip, a delicate, feather light touch as he leaned back and blatantly stared. "I've sat in front my canvas, wondered at the exact shade of your nipples, how smooth and pale your skin would be in moonlight. How do I make you beg? By cupping these pretty breasts in my hands while I feast on your smell, your taste? I long to search out the hidden places that make you moan. I bet your other lovers were a little rough, maybe a little clumsy; did they pay attention to your body, read its language?"

Caroline sucked in a breath as Klaus dragged one finger between her breasts, his lips curving as her nipples - tight and sensitive - pressed against the fabric. She clenched her jaw, struggled not to blush as he met her gaze - his eyes heavy with lust, desire flushing along his cheekbones. She was burning up and he hadn't even touched her.

"There is a time for rough - furious, crushing need - but the first time it'd be a slow, languorous exploration. There is nothing clumsy about my hands, love." Klaus took a deep breath, rolled his hips just against hers and she barely avoided moaning. "I can make you feel so good, Caroline. I want to touch you, to paint your skin with my fingertips and tongue. The only question is if you want me. Take my bargain, love."

"You're surprisingly good at this," Caroline finally managed.

His lips quirked, lashes hiding the gleam in his eye. "Seduction isn't blatant want, sweetheart. It's an enticement."

She tightened her grip on his shirt, shuddered a little as he ran his thumb across her waist. "You're being pretty blatant."

"Touch – you naked and writhing on my cock, that's easy." He traced a line across her abdomen, hummed as her muscles jumped. "Now, enticing that clever little brain of yours by painting words across your skin… that requires a bit more finesse."

Caroline tucked her lip between her teeth. Stared at the temptation that watched her with dimples and gleaming eyes. "You'll leave if I ask?"

"If you ask," Klaus murmured. Leaning closer, he pressed his lips to shell of her ear. "But tell me, sweetheart, are you wet yet? Does your body burn for me, slick and welcoming? Do you want me to slide my hands underneath the barrier of your clothes, to press into the heat of you? When will you let me lay you bare on your sheets, Caroline?"

"Klaus…" She managed, voice breathless. She was trembling with the control it was taking not to press against his hips, to slide her hands into his hair and her press lips against his.

"Tell me you want me, give me the truth, sweetheart. I want to watch your face as you come, face flushed, eyes glazed. I'll slid my fingers inside you, press my thumb against your clit; would you like that? The slow rhythm as my fingers fuck you, your hips sweetly rolling as you desperately ride my hand."

He kissed her cheekbone. She moaned, eyes squeezed shut. He dropped another slow kiss against her flushed skin.

"Once you come, all dazed and pleasured in my arms, I'll carry you to your bed; lay you down, with only this shirt covering your breasts. How sensitive are you after orgasm, sweetheart, because I want you under my mouth - my tongue on your clit."

She kissed him, desperate to stop the words he'd used to paint her desire. Klaus kissed her back, as slow and languorous as he'd promised, tongue hot and skillful as he licked at her mouth; Caroline curled around him desperately, nails digging into his neck.

The hand at her hip tugged harshly at her sweats, tearing them down to her thighs. But instead of removing her underwear, he pushed it to the side and slid two fingers into her slick heat. Her parted lips left his, eyes unseeing as he slowly slid in and out of her, thumb a light brush against her clit.

"More." She gasped, head falling back. "More."

"More what, love?" He asked. She rolled her hips, fingers tight in his hair, desperate.

"Klaus."

He gave a low hum. "I told you I want."

Her lashes fluttered. "I need you to touch me."  
Slow, hot kisses against her neck. The fingers inside her curved and she bucked, panting heavily. "Where?"

"Oh god, please." Caroline was so close, body winding so slowly. "Klaus."

A drag of teeth, the sting soothed by his tongue as he pressed his thumb firmly against her clit, sliding in slick strokes. Spine arching, her body locked around his fingers as she came, moaning brokenly.

She fluttered her eyes open as he brought fingers slick from her arousal to his mouth. Eyes never leaving hers, he sucked them clean; tongue snaking out to trace lips as he pulled them away. "Caroline?"

"Uh huh," she breathed, voice shaky.

"Just so we're clear, love." Klaus smoothed her hair away from her flushed cheeks, smiled at her with a predator's gaze. "After I lick your body through a second orgasm, I'm going to peel this shirt from your skin. Then I'm going to see exactly how long it takes you to beg for my cock."

Her breath hitched as he shifted his hands, supporting her as he turned towards the bed.

"And in the morning, if you have the energy to ask me to leave, I'll fuck you until you're senseless." He brushed her nose with his, the touch nearly playful. "Just so we're clear."

* * *

 _ **Part Two**_

Caroline stared up at Klaus as he lowered her to the bed. He didn't toss her, didn't laughingly drop her - his gaze remained locked with hers; muscles slowly shifting underneath her palms as she was carefully deposited. If his promise wasn't lingering between them, she might have melted a little. Instead, she forced her spine to straighten and worked up some irritation.

"Klaus - you said if I asked you to leave, you'd go."

Klaus laughed as he pulled his shirt over his head, smiling at her as he tossed it to the side. "You wouldn't deny me the chance for lazy morning sex, would you? I want to wake you slowly."

Pushing up to her elbows, Caroline stared at him incredulously. "Fucking me senseless isn't lazy or slow."

His dimples flashed at her and she caught her lip between her teeth at the image he made. The line of his shoulders, the ink on his skin, and that smile. She swallowed heavily.

"One day, we'll play rough, with teeth and blood; until we're both sore and breathless, until we've stained the sheets with our monsters." Klaus touched her mouth, tongue flicking along his upper lip. "But tomorrow morning, I'll be quite happy to devote considerable time to the slow, desperate climb."

Caroline swallowed and blew out a breath. Lifting her chin, she let her lashes lower, one brow just arching. "I haven't asked you to stay."

Oh God, the flicker of monster behind his eyes, the greedy pit that wanted to swallow her. His hands skimmed down her legs, lingered in delicate touches at her knees.

"You're awfully grumpy for someone who just orgasmed so beautifully in my hands, love." Klaus ran his fingertips down to her calves, smoothed them slowly back up to her bare thighs. "Let's see what we can do about that."

Teeth digging into her lower lip, Caroline inhaled sharply as he slid his hands under her thighs and pulled her closer to him. He bent his head, kissed the inside of her knee, lingered. "You have beautiful legs, Caroline."

She stared at him, the way his gaze held hers as he brushed the scruff of his beard against skin she hadn't realized was sensitive.

"You're body is a such lovely banquet - such a beautiful indulgence." Klaus' lashes lowered, lips skimming across her inner thigh. "I'm a glutton, with nothing but time; if you give it to me, I'll adore you."

"So many promises," Caroline said as she reached to touch his cheek, not quite willing to examine those words. What he was offering. "Maybe you should keep the ones you've made first."

He tilted his head, nipped the pad of her finger. She inhaled as his tongue soothed the sting. "You do enjoy inciting the monster. I'd be careful."

Caroline shrugged, tried to play off how he'd affected her. "Why? You won't hurt me."

His eyes gleamed, and her stomach jumped at her admission, but this she could admit. If she didn't trust him to keep her from harm - to stop himself from harming her - he'd no business in her bed. And they both knew it.

"No," he agreed. "I won't harm you - never deliberately, Caroline - but I'll devour you all the same. I'll crawl inside your skin, imprint myself along tendon and bone, and carve a place for myself in your chest."

"You'll try," she replied, refusing to let him intimidate her. Klaus laughed, the low noise hot against her thigh. Sliding one of her knees over his shoulder, he straightened. The moved pulled her across her sheets, and he smoothed his hand down the thigh he curled around his hip before he spread her open.

"Do you feel vulnerable like this little love? Spread open for me, with only this thin barrier between us? This scrap of cotton between my lips and my tongue and the wet heat of you?"

Klaus dragged a finger along the crease of her thigh, the edge of her underwear. She trembled as he skimmed a fingertip across her crotch; his gaze lingering at how the fabric clung to her damp skin. Eyes flickering to hers, Klaus hooked his fingers under the band and tore it away from her body easily.

"Hey," she protested, lifting up to glare. "I liked those panties - oh god."

His tongue was a slow stroke, a hot pressure that lingered all too briefly against her clit. Muscles jumping, she heaved out a breath; hands fisting in the sheets. He made a noise low in this throat and repeated the caress.

"I should tease, let you writhe against my lips." Klaus murmured as he shifted his hold, shifting so that both legs curved over his shoulders.

"Don't be mean," Caroline managed, eyes squeezing shut as his breath deliberately ghosted over her nerves. "Klaus."

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I promised two orgasms before you begged." He hummed an indulgent noise, and kissed her thigh. "But I said nothing about screaming."

Her eyes popped open. "Screaming, what -

Her words died as he lifted her back to his mouth, tongue curling through her folds. Each slow caress searched out what made her arch - heels digging into the muscles of his back. A playful brush against her clit left moaning, hands twisted tightly in her sheets; her voice rose in pitch at the delicate, careful edge of teeth. He didn't linger in any one spot, letting the tone of her cries, the desperate hold of her thighs guide him.

Lifting his head, Klaus smiled at the picture she made. The ruined curls spread across her sheets, the hard cut of her nipples against her t-shirt; the vulnerable curve of her neck as she whined - that dazed, pleasure-glazed expression behind her eyes.

"How am I doing?" Klaus drawled, lips curving as her heels dug into his back.

"I'm still sitting at one orgasm," Caroline managed, voice ragged. "So there is some room for improvement."

He leaned forward, pushed her thighs apart with his chest, letting the wet heat of her press against his skin as he kissed her abdomen. "So grumpy."

"Tease," she replied, lips curving just a hair.

"Now sweetheart," Klaus chided as his hand arched her spine, eyes glimmering as he bent his head. "That'd be mean."

Caroline sobbed out his name as he slid two fingers inside her, tongue sliding across her most sensitive nerves. She could no more control the rise of her voice as he played her body than she could stop her legs from tightening around him, her hips arching desperately against his mouth. He hummed, sucking her clit between his lips. His tongue was a rough slide of velvet and she broke, spine arching; voice a high wail as she came, every part of her locked in an almost painful orgasm. Slowly, muscles trembling, she eased down, body draped inelegantly across Klaus shoulders, lips parted as she tried to breathe through the bliss of her afterglow.

He eased her legs down, slid up her panting body; kissed along her jaw, a warm line across her cheekbone. "Alright?"

Lazy, body thrumming from her orgasm, she wrapped her arms around his neck, stroked her fingers down his nape. "You're still wearing pants."

"And you're still wearing this unnecessary t-shirt." Klaus returned, stroking one breast through her shirt.

"Don't rip this," Caroline warned, lashes narrowing. "I like this shirt."

"Oh sweetheart," Klaus eased out of her hold and stroked his hands down her ribs. Sliding his hands under the hem, he hooked his her shirt on his thumbs and slowly dragged the fabric up her stomach. Shifting down her body, he pressed his lips just below her belly button. "I'm plan to peel this slowly - a delicate revel - gorge my eyes on each slow inch of skin. I believe the word I used was languorous, Caroline."

She threaded her fingers through his curls, watched his lashes flutter at her touch. "I might have missed it, with all the talk of begging."

Sin curled his lips, flecks of hybrid gold lightening the blue of his eyes. "Time to remove this shirt, love."

Caroline shivered as his fingertips slide along her skin, bunching the cotton of her shirt as he went. She watched his jaw work, the lines of him shuddering as her breasts were bared. She released his hair, let him pull the shirt free of her arms.

Klaus' eyes never left her breasts.

"Look at these," Klaus breathed, thumb sliding across one nipple. "Pink."

Making a low, greedy noise he bent his head and caught her nipple between his lips. Back arching, she moaned heavily. Klaus sucked hard at her breast, tongue swirling around her nipple; calloused fingers massaging her neglected breast, his palm a rough slide against her nipple. Caroline fisted her hands in his curls, let him feel the bite of her nails. He made a low, approving growl and Caroline panted out his name, her body arching into the curve of his.

Klaus released her breast with a last flick of his tongue, lifted his head to watch her. "A bit of a hair puller, love?"

She ran her nails over his scalp, dug them lightly into his neck. Watched the hitch in his breath, the little movements of his body. "You seem to like it fine."

He laughed, his hands sliding to tangle into her hair, arching her neck. "Shall I drag teeth and tongue down your neck, love? Soothe the burn with my tongue? Let you bleed a little?"

"You promised me kissing," Caroline told him, voice a little breathless. She was surprised by that, the heat blooming low at his proprietary hold.

"So I did."

His mouth was hot - her arousal a lingering taste on his tongue. Caroline curled her arms around his shoulders, pressed her bare chest against his; shuddered at the heat of him. Klaus kissed her like he hadn't coaxed her body through two orgasms; he kissed like her mouth was luxurious, the slick slide of tongues an art he needed to master.

Her head spun. His low moans, that panting hitch to his breathing as he pulled back, paled at the expression behind his eyes. There was lust - his erection was thick behind the seam of his pants - but it was the adoration. The way his thumb slid across her kiss-wet lips, touch so careful that wrecked her.

Then his lips curled - smile wicked, so demanding, bracketed by those damn dimples - and he leaned forward and bit her throat. Blunt, human teeth that dug into the arch of her neck and she moaned, legs wrapping around his waist. Klaus' breathing hitched, but he licked and sucked, the edge of his teeth a hard line against hyper-sensitive nerves.

"Why do you still have pants on?" Caroline managed as he licked at her collar bones. He bit the curve of one breast as she moaned, the throb of her arousal leaving her needy, her body demanding friction he wouldn't allow.

Klaus pressed his lips to her sternum, fingers catching her wrists, dragging her hands above her head. Watching her from lust-dark eyes, he easily held in her place.

"Do you know how badly I want inside you?" Klaus ground out, fingers locked around her both her wrists; freeing one hand to stroke down her body to shape and massage her breast. "How my cock aches to thrust into the wet clamp of your muscles? But I also want to hear you beg. To watch you writhe and twist desperately, your body begging for mine."

Caroline whimpered. She had never been so aroused, her body a livewire. It wasn't just the insistent strokes of his fingers, the way his eyes held her to him. It was how he let her see his want, the tremble in his hands, and the roughness of his voice.

"I ache for you, Caroline. Do you ache for me? Do you want my cock inside you, sweetheart?" His voice was ragged against her ear and she moaned. "I'll fulfill your need; do you want me to take you hard, the slap of our bodies rocking this bed or should I take you slow, face down and sobbing my name?"

It was the kiss behind her ear that broke her. Chest heaving, breath a panting sob in her throat, she moaned his name. "Klaus, please."

He lifted his head, stared at her. "Please what?"

"Take off your pants. I need you inside me."

He shuddered and rolled off her. She watched him from beneath heavy lashes, body bereft. Klaus returned in seconds, one hand sliding under her ass, the other guiding his heavy length, the tip of him parting her folds. His jaw was clenched tight, gaze dark and she closed her eyes, head tossed back as he slowly filled her.

Oh God, she wasn't going to last. The low, heavy moan from Klaus suggested he wouldn't either. He seated himself fully, his face pressing into her shoulder, his fingers lacing with hers.

"Wrap your legs, around me," Klaus growled, his body trembling as she did. Caroline whimpered, shuddered as the movement pushed him deeper. Klaus lifted his head and watched her from eyes gone feral.

Then he moved.

His hips thrust roughly, his pace hard; Caroline dug her nails into the back of his hands, voice breaking along the syllable of his name. Klaus groaned, face flushed and his cheekbones stark, but he never dropped her gaze as her body clamped down, every part of her striving for release.

"Caroline," Klaus ground out. "Let go."

She did - she nearly went blind with it, sobbing for air; barely aware of his guttural moan, the heat of his orgasm inside her. Dazed, she slowly fluttered her lashes open to stare at his wild curls as Klaus breathed against her chest, cheek resting against her breast.

"I'm pretty sure slow and desperate would kill me," Caroline murmured, lashes fluttered closed again. Klaus chuckled, but made no move to roll off her.

"Want to test it?" he asked, tilting his head to kiss the curve of her breast.

"Shower," Caroline tried, words faint as she started to fade. Her body was wrung dry. He'd promised to melt her bones and he'd delivered.

Klaus made a soothing noise, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. "I'll wake you for shower-sex and blood, sweetheart. Rest first."

She might have moaned, but the warm weight of him never moved and so she let herself drift, boneless and sated.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	9. Softly, With His Song

I was prompted a series of related drabbles, that eventually ended up being a full fledge story. I've included them in one chapter to make them easier to read.

There are four mini-drabbles and then a longer drabble.

* * *

 **Part One:** Anonymous - _Country singer!Caroline and rock star!Klaus' agents (Katherine and Stefan) force them to collaborate._

"See sweetheart, I don't think the problem is that you don't like me."

Caroline lifted her chin and didn't back down as Klaus Mikaelson prowled into her personal space. She cursed that someone so arrogant could have his voice - sin and smoke, so much bloody temptation.

"Oh, really?" She smiled at him, sweet and dripping sugar, letting her drawl fill the spaces between them. The British rocker laughed lowly and tugged a curl. "Do enlighten me."

"I think the real problem is you like me too much."

"Your arrogance is just amazing," Caroline breathed, eyes rolling as she swatted away his hand. "I don't care if this is a contract obligation, I'll take the hit."

His gaze glittered, hotly demanding. "I don't believe you."

"That I want to strangle you with you guitar strap?"

A curling smile and dimples. "That I don't turn you on. That this collaboration doesn't make you hot and that you aren't crawling out of your skin for me the way I am for you."

" _Seriously_?"

Klaus' breath mingled with hers. "Prove it."

Her eyes rolled. "Oh yes, what a great idea. How do you suggest I do that?"

His fingers brushed her chin, the sudden devilment both attractive and alarming.

"Why don't we start with you taking off your knickers, love? Not wet for me? Prove it." There was a long moment of silence, and Klaus' smile widened. "Not shy, are you love?"

Temper made her reckless, and Caroline let her own dimples peak out as she reached up to fiddle with a button on his Henley. "Nothing shy about it, sugar. But I afraid I can't fulfill your request."

"Why is that?"

"I'd have to be wearing them. Have a nice night, Klaus."

* * *

 **Part 2:** Anonymous **-** _Omg pleeeeaaase just one more caroline country singer klaus the rock star part pretty please?_

"Smile for the camera, love. Would hate for them to think we don't like each other."

The low, heated murmur had her gut clenching, stubbornly pushing down the flush of temper and arousal. Caroline glanced around from underneath her lashes, smiled.

"You can get that Grammy posthumously, if your hand slides any lower."

Klaus dragged fingertips against her bare spine. "Come now, love - give the fans a little something."

She arched a brow, leaned into him just a little. "The fans?"

His gaze heated and when his eyes landed on her, her breath hitched. "What I want requires a fare bit of privacy."

Her smile was real this time and she stepped away. Tossing her hair, she paused and leaned to murmur her next words before sauntering to her next interview.

"Staring at my ass isn't going to help you determine if I'm wearing panties, Klaus. But you're welcome to guess later."

* * *

 **Part 3:** goldcaught - _promptssssss! kc + everybody wants a taste/that's why/i still get jealous (klaus or caroline either which way i'm easy and weak for them getting deliciously proprietary)_

"A pitcher of tea?"

Caroline turned, mouth tight with fury as she looked at Klaus. The door behind him shut, blocking off the sounds of the after party, and she watched him warily. His eyes were dark with emotions he couldn't read and she shrugged.

"Long Island Ice Tea. Bonnie's thing and he deserved it."

"You mistake me, Caroline," Klaus chided as he stepped close enough she could smell the cigarettes his brother had been smoking, the faintest touch of sweat from their performance. "Lockwood is lucky you didn't break that wine bottle over his head."

She laughed, shrugged. "I embarrassed him, but he'll look like an idiot for suing me for that. If I damage his face, then that's something else. You should go back inside."

He reached up and traced her bottom lip slowly, gaze intent. "You should come with me."

"There are enough rumors about us as is, Klaus."

"I haven't left your flat doing the walk of shame, so I'll have to disagree with you." His lips curved just a touch. "Besides, you offered me a guess earlier and I haven't had time to collect."

She arched both brows. "Why don't you then?"

His gaze roamed down her body, dimples flirting when he looked at her. "Will you come inside?"

"No."

Another brush across her lip. "Then I'll see you on the red carpet, love. When you're picking out your dress, think of me."

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because I'll be thinking of how to peal you out if it."

* * *

 **Part 4:** This was written for candycolamorgan on tumblr. Happy birthday!

"Are you going to hide here forever?"

Caroline glanced over at her mom, that familiar face a welcome distraction from her thoughts. Her guitar was next to the swing, but she hadn't had the urge to pick it up. "Do you think I'm hiding?"

"Well, you're not fighting back, and that surprises me." Liz wasn't wearing her cop face, but it wasn't that far away, either.

She nodded, kicked the swing little, sighed. "I'm trying to figure it out."

Liz sat next to her, stared at forest behind their house. "We both know how I felt about you singing."

"You were very gracious that I won our bet," Caroline reminded her, nudging her with an elbow. "You even ate my celebration cake with a smile."

"It was never a fear that you wouldn't flourish, Caroline. I've always known you'd fight for what you wanted, find your feet. It was fear of what would change when you did."

"The tabloids are a never ending pack of nonsense," Caroline sighed. "But Tyler…"

"Good riddance," Liz dismissed, eyes narrowed. "Katherine got you out of that horrible contract, you've had months to stew in your anger. No record company, no management. What are you going to do?"

Caroline sighed and kicked the swing. "Well, I'm going to bite back, hard. Obviously."

"How?"

"I hate that someone else could strip me of my self-identify," Caroline whispered. "They took something of me and they exploited it. I can't go back to that."

"No," Liz agreed gently. "But that doesn't mean you can't go forward."

Caroline took her hand and squeezed it. Licking lips chapped from nerves, she glanced at her mom. "How do you feel about London?"

* * *

It was pissing down, just his luck.

Klaus adjusted the hood of his rain jacket, sighing as he dodged the crush of bodies. This last week had been blissfully silent, his manager under the strictest of orders to leave him be unless it was an emergency.

He needed a break.

A flash of gold from a magazine and his jaw tightened as he glimpsed the familiar line of her cheekbone, the curve of her lips. Caroline. If he could get his fingers around that ex-boyfriend's throat he'd gladly choke him. That her manager and record company had operated with knowledge of the sex tape, that they'd worked with Tyler to exploit her popularity was abhorrent.

She hadn't returned any of his calls.

He'd left it alone, Katherine having passed along that Caroline had retreated to Virginia. Her mother the Sheriff was known for her no nonsense approach to paparazzi, having jailed around a dozen during her daughter's rise to fame.

He was giving Caroline another week, and then he'd risk that jail cell. His cheek still burned from that teasing kiss the night of the Grammy's, that vibrant sparkle to her gaze that left him half hard when he thought about it. He'd finally moved the Grammy to a closet, unwilling to look at the constant reminder of her presence.

It's a gone to shite so quickly.

His phone buzzed and he cursed, ducking down to answer as the rain picked up. "What?"

"Now see, with this British charm of yours, how exactly _do_ you melt off those panties?"

His lips curved, and the weather and crowds evaporated. "Hello, Caroline. If I recall, _you_ prefer not to wear knickers."

She hummed a noise that had him counting backwards, unwilling to explain a hard on when he finally met his sister for lunch. "Are you home? I'd…"

Klaus straightened, ignoring the water hitting his face. "Love? It's not like you to be shy. I think the first time we met, you smiled and told me I was full of hooey. I had to look it up."

She snorted out a laugh, the noise welcome. "Yeah, well, that hasn't changed. Can you please ask your doorman to let me in?"

His heart started to hammer, lips curling. "Are you wearing knickers?"

"Ha ha," she drawled, that hint of southern rounding her vowels. "I brought my mom."

"What?"

"I've got a plan, and I'd like your help," a faint note of hesitation under the bravado. "I mean, you don't have to, but I'd hoped…"

He turned, heading back to the crush of the tube. "Tell Pete I said to let you in. I'll be home in about half an hour."

"Oh sure, I'll just say 'Pete, Klaus says to let me in.' He's totally… letting me in," Caroline murmured in bemusement. "Alrighty. Thank you. It's freezing."

"Welcome to London. There is hot chocolate above the stove. Don't touch my tea. I'll see you soon."

Klaus texted Rebekah and smiled. Caroline was here, with her mum. She wanted his help. Lips curling, he picked up his pace.

Far be it for him to disappoint.

* * *

Caroline bit her lip, glanced over at the closed door to Klaus' room. He'd walked in rain damp, smelling so damn good and he'd been disgustingly charming with her mom. Sweeping up their by then cold drinks, producing tea her southern mom had loved; even if he'd grimaced at the amount of sugar that Liz had added.

Her mom had stuck around for the rough explanation of her plan, Caroline having been unwilling to admit what it was until then. Klaus had listened with that straight forward intensity, eyes glittering at each twitching display of nerves she couldn't help. Anger lingered there, but it wasn't aimed at her.

Amazingly, he'd agreed to her idea.

"I've got a few favors to call in," Klaus told her. "Marcel in particular owes me part of his soul. It'll work out."

"Marcel Gerard?" She knew she sounded faint, but the DJ/Producer was riding a winning streak. His name on any project right now was gold.

A wicked grin that went straight to her gut. "Trust me."

God help her, she did.

"I should go," Liz interrupted, smiling tiredly. But her eyes were thoughtful. "Caroline is quite used to this traveling thing. I'm not."

"I'll go with you," Caroline insisted, looking for her scarf and jacket, her boots.

"Nonsense. You'll be up most of the night now that you've got your teeth in this and we both know it." Liz smiled at Klaus. "It's why I insisted on two rooms. My girl doesn't sleep."

Klaus stood. "I'll ring a car around."

"That's not necessary. You do speak English here. I can find our hotel."

"I insist."

"It's really…"

Klaus dimpled at her, lip curling in amusement. "I see where your daughter gets it. Sheriff, please. This way Caroline won't worry."

Liz caved, and Klaus had made arrangements. Caroline hadn't expected the side eye from her mom, a delicately arched brow. The lowly murmured words only for Caroline's ears.

"I think I'm starting to see the appeal."

Caroline had gaped at Liz as she left. Klaus shut the door, casting his gaze in her direction in the sudden silence. "Do you mind if I clean up, Caroline? The tube isn't the most pleasant experience during a storm."

"What? No. It's your place. I can entertain myself."

Now Klaus was in the shower, and she was trying not to think of him naked. All that skin and hard muscle, of how he was built on those distracting lean lines. The way the water would flatten and darken those tempting curls.

It wasn't working.

Casting her gaze around the room, her eyes landed on an acoustic guitar. Caroline chewed on her lip and then swallowed. She'd apologize if she needed to.

Picking it up, she carried his guitar back to the couch and stroked the well cared for wood. She hummed a note, fingers thrumming the strings, searching for the music that she'd been chasing since she'd landed in London. Digging for a pen, she scribbled a series of notes on her palm, hummed them to herself before slowly strumming them.

Slowly, she lost herself in the music.

She'd almost finished the melody when she noticed Klaus. He'd pulled on jeans, a faded Henley, and his curls were damp on his forehead. She caught the end of the pen between her teeth before trying a smile. "Sorry. I should've asked?"

"The only way seeing you with my guitar could be any sexier would be if you were naked," he told her bluntly.

Caroline froze as he moved forward, bare feet silent on the wood floors. Klaus crouched down next to her, traced her knuckles with the pads of his fingers. "Why come to me, Caroline?"

She licked her lips. "You'll think I'm silly."

His gaze lifted to hers, eyes dark. "Now, that's quite unlikely. Even when I wanted to put you over my knee, I hardly thought you silly."

"That would not have gone well for you," she drawled, eyes narrowed. His lips curved, just a little, and she wondered at the devilment there. Hastily, she pressed her fingers against his chin, quieting him. "This is a risk, for me. I love music, Klaus. The crowds, the fan interaction, those are great; I adore being on stage. But it's music that I love. I've only got one shot at this. And it's probably crazy, shifting tacts like this…"

"Your voice is suited to more than one genre, love," Klaus broke into her ramblings with serious eyes. "I'd have never agreed to that duet otherwise, crossover or not. I'd listen to you sing for the rest of my life, Caroline. I knew it the first time you sauntered into the recording studio and turned my newest single into sex with your voice, just to prove you could."

"Oh."

His lips curved and Klaus brought her cold fingers to his lips, lingered as he looked at her from under dark lashes. "You're a bit of a brat, as you're perfectly aware."

"Doesn't stop you from thinking about my knickers," she parroted. Klaus made an amused noise.

"I'm more interested in what underneath, sweetheart."

Caroline took a deep breath, let her eyes wander down the lines of him before flicking her gaze to his face. "Me too."

He tilted his head, and air shifted between them to something heated. "Caroline…"

She smiled hesitantly, tried not to fidget. "Are you going to say our timing is bad?"

Klaus snorted and stood, tugging the guitar free and setting it carefully aside before staring down at her. "That's the least of my concerns. I'm not interested in casual, not with you. The next few months are going to be chaotic. I won't be a regret, Caroline, not if I can help it. You need to understand that, going in."

She stood and faced him with stubborn eyes. Caroline let her fingertips hesitantly brush the collar of his shirt. "I had a plan, the night of the Grammy's. Then my PR team dropped the bomb as we waited for our post-Grammy interviews and it just went to hell."

His head tilted, eyes heated. "Did you, now? I'd wondered. That dress was unfair in all the best ways, love."

"Hmm," she hummed, stroking her fingers up his throat, just to watch the way he swallowed at her touch. "You think you're so charming, with the accent and dimples."

"I am, sweetheart," Klaus murmured, hands going to her hips as he smiled at her. "Are you going to let me charm you, Caroline?"

She felt her lips curl and fiddled with a button on his shirt. "I thought I was the one with a plan?"

"I'd love to hear the specifics," Klaus assured her, thumbs brushing up under her hem to run across the soft skin if her waist. "Preferably later, and naked. But you're on my side of the pond now, and as such, I'll be the one seducing. Invite me to Virginia, and we can test out this 'roll in the hay' I keep hearing about."

She reared back, eyes narrowing. "A _roll in the hay_? _Really_?"

He laughed lowly at her outrage, one hand settling hotly against the base of her spine, pulling her hips flush against his own. "I've personally never seen the appeal. Seems a bit uncomfortable for all parties involved."

"Well," Caroline challenged softly, glancing up between her lashes."It would depend on how well you kiss me."

A wicked curve of those lips, and his head dipped. He took his time, feathering his mouth against hers. Caroline swayed into his chest, lips parting in invitation; the sudden pressure of his teeth against her bottom lip jolted through her. His hold encouraged her closer, fingers winding through her hair and she moaned as the softness left their kiss, his tongue velvet against hers.

Her lips burned when he pulled back, chest heaving as his eyes dragged across her flushed cheeks, down to the rumbled collar of her shirt. Deliberately, she ran her tongue over her lower lip. "Do you bite everywhere?"

His smile was hot and greedy in all the best ways. "I've wanted to dig my teeth into some very delectable parts of you for some time, Caroline - your lip, the curve of your breasts, your sexy ass."

Caroline snorted out a laugh, and let her hands slid down the line of his ribs to hook into the belt loops of his jeans. Leaning forward, she brushed her lips across the scruff of his jaw. "I'm hearing a lot of talk, and not a lot of _doing_ , Klaus."

A low laugh rumbled in his throat and Caroline yelped as he dipped and hoisted her over his shoulder. Klaus shamelessly palmed her ass as he strode back into his bedroom. She was laughing when he dropped her onto the messy sprawl of his sheets.

His eyes glittered as he followed her onto the bed, a smile tugging at his lips. "I must confess, sweetheart, I'm most curious. What exactly are you wearing under those jeans?"

Sitting up, she pulled her sweater over her head. Grinning at his sucked in breath at the sight of her bra, Caroline flicked open the catch and let her breasts fall free. "Here I thought you planned on finding out."

Klaus caught her wandering hand, paused to touch the chords written on her skin, before he shifted so the heat of him was between her thighs. "Oh no sweetheart, I've had ample time to think about this, about you exactly in this position. And so many others. I'm going to savor."

"Have you?"

He snorted, pressing one hand low against her stomach, smoothing across soft skin. "Let's not pretend that you didn't have that intention, with each of your teases. Those blood distracting shorts, and lovely dresses with the ridiculous hemlines, with your bloody gorgeous legs; I confess, I find your brand of deviousness quite the turn on, specifically when so many people take your sweetness at face value."

Caroline arched both brows, breath lifting her breasts. She was immensely gratified by the darkening of his eyes, the way his gaze traced the flush of arousal across her chest. She deliberately fluttered her lashes, letting disbelief color her voice. "I'll have you know, I'm very sweet."

A flash of dimples. "Oh, I've every intention of determining exactly how _sweet_ you are, Caroline. But I know exactly how I want you, and I'm not in a mood to be rushed."

She shivered, at the way the timbre of his voice lowered, rough with arousal and sensual promise. When she spoke, her voice was breathless. "And how is that, exactly?"

The slightest curve of his brow, his smile sin in all the best ways. "Begging."

Caroline sucked in her breath as his head dipped, mouth all wet, delicious pressure as he sucked and nipped a path up her torso, lingering anywhere he got the slightest twitch of muscle. Her fingers dug into his sheets, lips parting on shuddering breaths. She made a noise of complaint when he kissed a line between her breasts. "Klaus!"

He laughed below her collarbone, nipping lightly. "Yes, love?"

She huffed, shifting her hips against his. Caroline moaned at the fleeting pressure, rolled her hips again. "That's not where you promised me teeth."

"My apologies," he drawled, running his scruff along sensitive skin. "How can I deny such sweet entrities?"

Her gaze narrowed at his tone, the hard bulge of his cock a sure sign that he was aroused as she. She took a breath, ready to tell him exactly where she wanted his mouth, when he slid a hand upwards to cup her breasts, his mouth running along the curve of her breasts before licking across one nipple. A whine escaped her, spine arching, her hands shifting to grip the wild tangle of damp curls.

Klaus took his cues from her body. Each curl of his tongue, each scrape of teeth experimenting until he'd perfected the combination and switched breasts. Caroline could no more control rough grind of her hips than her urgent, gasping demands. She tugged sharply at his hair as Klaus pulled away, the familiar coil of arousal in her stomach demanding _more_.

His cheeks were flushed and he removed his shirt impatiently. Her gaze immediately scanned all the bare skin greedily, hands dropping to roam the muscles she'd fantasized about. He didn't let her so much as touch the tattoo on his shoulder, catching her hand.

"Now who's teasing?"

Klaus laughed and tweaked her nipple before dragging his free hand towards the buttons of her jeans. "You can touch me later."

"I want to touch you _now_."

"And I want to lick you until you scream," Klaus said roughly, voice faltering when it became clear just how much she _wasn't_ wearing as he carefully worked her jeans down her hips. He shifted his hand, delving his thumb through her wet folds before sliding back up to press lightly, and then in rougher strokes against her clit. With her jeans still bunched around her thighs, she could really only roll her hips into his hand. Her eyes flew open as he pulled away, deliberately licking the wetness from his thumb.

The want, and unfettered greed in his gaze, throbbed through her. His lips curled and his licked along his upper lip. "My bed, my rules, love."

"I'm going to remember this," she warned as she helped him kick her jeans off. He spread her thighs and grinned impishly.

"I should hope so."

Any coherency she'd left disappeared with the first stroke of his tongue. Warm and wet, it was so much better than his hand and was just as wicked as his way with words. By the time she was riding the edge of her orgasm, she knew she was begging, and Caroline didn't care. It crashed over her in waves, until she had to push his head away, panting heavily.

There was a rough sound of jeans hitting the floor, the rustle of a condom and she lifted her lashes as Klaus crawled back up her body. Unexpectedly, he traced her lips, gaze taking in each flushed line of her face. "You're so lovely, Caroline. I think this look might be my favorite."

"What look is that?"

He hooked her thigh, spreading her thighs as he guided himself that first slow inch inside her. A shudder ran across his skin, jaw working as he finished his thrust. " _Mine_."

She curled her legs around his hips, nails digging into his shoulder at the new position. He gave her little mercy, moving at an angle that had her crying out repeatedly. Clenching on the length of his cock, Caroline ground down on each thrust. Klaus dropped desperate kisses across her breasts, one hand sliding to tease her clit until she came with a near scream. His teeth scraped her shoulder as he followed her, moaning her name in a voice she wanted to hear again.

Ragged. Full of surrender.

She looked at him from beneath heavy lashes as he lifted his head. She cupped the line of his jaw and ran her thumb along his scruff. "So your plan wasn't bad."

He snorted and rolled off her, returning shortly without having bothered to find pants. Crawling in next to her, he tugged her against his side and smoothed her hair. "Nap, sweetheart. You're going to need a little rest."

She sure hoped so.

 _ **8 Months Later**_

Caroline opened her eyes as warm, familiar hands settled on her shoulders. Klaus arched both brows, his rock'n roll grin, complete with dimples, wide on his face. The rush of adrenaline hit her hard as she matched that smile.

"It's quite a turnout."

"I'd kiss Marcel for it, but my fiancé is a bit grumpy about those things."

That smile somehow widened. A familiar, deafening roar from the crowd turned her blood to butterflies. "Ready, then?"

She impulsively shifted, leaning to press her mouth to his. His hands gripped her hips, mouth falling open. She pulled back just as his tongue licked at her lips, and laughed.

"For luck!"

* * *

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	10. Taste of Iron

This was supposed to be s simple waking in Vegas story. Obviously, my mused laughed at that.

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She woke in tangled sheets.

Caroline burrowed under her pillow, a low whine building in the back of her throat. The sun was up and she'd forgotten to close the blinds. Her kind weren't meant for golden mornings or burning afternoons. Grumbling a little more, she squinted open sensitive eyes when she felt someone stir next to her. Rolling just enough to face the man next to her, Caroline blinked at him.

God, she had good taste.

Curls that were a wreck, full lips that were parted as he breathed, the lines of his face left her mouth dry. Curious, she reached out and touched the scruff of his jaw, confirming the flush of life beneath his skin.

Lashes parted, and glittering blue eyes locked on to her face. Those gorgeous eyes narrowed and she watched him think through the situation - cataloged their nakedness and the mess of the bed.

"Do you usually hide under the covers," he murmured, voice low and throaty. God, she might not remember last night all that well, but she was full and sated, and his voice alone won him points.

"Why are you still alive?" Caroline questioned curiously. Both of his brows arched, lips just curling at the edges.

"Should I not be?"

Caroline sighed, wanted to stay encased in her pocket of warmth, but she'd overslept. Giving herself a heartbeat to savor the sensation of being full and warm, she pushed up; uncaring of her nakedness. Not like he saw the truth of her, anyway. "Well, this is awkward."

She'd barely the time to fluff her curls before he'd her under the hard plane of his torso. Blinking up, she scowled as he frowned down at her, eyes streaked gold. The press of his skin, the heat of him was heavenly and Caroline barely managed to keep from arching into him.

"Oh, you're one of those," Caroline breathed as his eyes threaded with malady. "That explains that, then."

He pressed into her face, breath hot against her skin; lips nearly brushing her own. "I'm what?"

"A vampire," Caroline shrugged at him and smiled, pressing her breasts into the hard line of his chest, smiling up into that beautifully confused face. She nipped his mouth with her teeth, lingered on those lips of his before rolling them with a flex of muscle. "But I don't have time to taste you again."

She went to untangle herself, but he curled his fingers into her skin, held her tight. She stared at him in surprise, but his gaze lingered on her ear. Horror curled in her stomach, turned her lungs to ice.

"You're ears are pointed," he mused, words soft with a mix of wonder and delight. She adored that tone, the glitter of discovering something new behind his gaze - wanted to drink it in. Wondered for a moment if such emotions could linger on tongues.

But this was impossible, his words. Her monster was hidden. Tucked away by magic.

"That's ridiculous," she bluffed, refusing to concede. Did vampire metabolism burn through alcohol? Maybe she could convince him he was still drunk.

She wasn't sure she'd the time.

Those brows arched again, and this time his smile lingered, showed off dimples. Quick fingertips stroked across the pointed tip of her ear he shouldn't have been able to see. Caroline's breathed hitched, and her lashes fluttered as he repeated the caress.

"So sensitive," he breathed. "Did I give this attention last night?"

That snapped her out of her growing daze and she flipped him off her. He grunted in surprise, and Caroline slipped off the bed. Predatory eyes lifted from the sheets and Caroline met his stare with a frown.

"Vampires can't see through glamours."

His eyes streaked yellow, and she licked her lips as he pushed himself up, the muscles in his arms and chest flexing; the naked expanse of his back a smooth line she wanted to lick. "Sweetheart, I think we can both agree that I can."

Caroline compressed her lips, stared at him. There was amusement and curiosity, a slow growing burn the longer he looked at her. "I don't agree to anything."

"I take it you're a little contrary then?" He mused as he joined her on the floor. "Tell me, what are you?"

"You should go," Caroline said firmly as she reached for her wrinkled dress, tugging it back on with quick fingers. The vampire had no such desire to cover himself, lips tilted in amusement.

"I think I'll stay."

Caroline sighed as she glanced at the angle of the sun, mentally cursed at the hour and ignored the way the vampire watched her. "The room should be paid through tomorrow."

He laughed, strode to her in three steps and kissed her; fit his palms along her cheeks and slanted his mouth against hers in a lingering slid. Heat washed through her, curled in her chest and she leaned into his hands, licked along his lower lip. When he lifted his head, she stared at him with surprised eyes.

"That explains the sex," he murmured, stroking a thumb across her cheek. "Although if you grumbled at me with these eyes of yours spitting, I've no doubt that would have happened regardless."

"I don't grumble and this is why I kill my food," Caroline huffed. "Freaking vampire, just my luck."

"Avoid us, love?" He queried.

"Obviously?"

"Then explain last night to me," he suggested, hands careful against her skin, but he lines of his face sharpened. His monster crawled along his face, darkened his gaze - a wide pit, devouring behind his eyes.

But Caroline knew death, had danced hand in hand, would not bend.

"Last night?" Caroline repeated, brows tucking together; looking at this man, wishing she had time. What was it that drew her to him? Licking her lips, she tried for dismissive. "It's Vegas, I'm sure you were drunk and an easy mark."

"Is that what you expect me to believe?" He rumbled, lips peeling back to show double fangs. "I'm no mark."

Caroline rolled her eyes, opened her mouth and paused. She caught her lip between her teeth instead and considered the creature holding her. Three hundred years, she'd tucked herself into the cracks and crevices of this world, hiding where she could. Eating only when starved, desperate for nourishment. Hunted she might be, but she'd avoided vampires. Beautiful or not, she'd have avoided this one as well. With his angel's face and devil's smile, she'd have admired and left.

"No," Caroline murmured, touching his wrist with uncertain fingers before ducking out of his hold, stomach churning.

She didn't remember last night.

"Problem, love?"

Caroline reached for her shoes, glanced over her shoulder. Scowled at the endearment. "No."

"So neither of us remember last night," he mused; face returning to less monstrous lines. She wondered at herself that she missed it. "So, at least we know why I don't recall your name."

"I don't generally exchange names with dinner." Caroline dismissed him, glanced about to see if she'd left anything behind.

"Neither do I," he grinned, eyes dancing. "And I definitely had you last night. You linger on my tongue - I'd like another bite."

Caroline laughed, gave up on her hair. "That's a terrible idea."

"Really? Regardless of memory, what does your skin, you're heartbeat tell you about last night?" He smiled at her with predator's teeth.

Caroline froze, hair falling to hide her face as she worked through the sudden flopping of her stomach. Spinning around, she stared at him unable to keep the alarm from her face.

"That's impossible."

He narrowed his gaze, head canted to the side. "I think you should tell me your name."

She ignored him, ate up the space between them in quick strides.

"Just hold still," Caroline murmured, slapping a palm onto his chest. She ignored the fingers that curled around her wrists, not pulling her away, just holding her. Blunt teeth sank sharply into her lip, and she loosened just enough magic to feel him.

She felt his breath hitch, knew what he saw as her magic touched his skin. Her predator wasn't marked with dark veins and terrifying fangs, but sharper, more angular cheekbones - her ears pointed and incisors delicately sharper. The Unseelie blood left her with larger, split pupils that gave her excellent night vision and the need for sunglasses during the day; she knew her face was alien, felt the bite of his fingers as he took her in.

"You're beautiful."

Her magic wavered as she glanced up, her attention shot at the reverence in his tone. Disbelief had her holding his gaze and she glared at him. "Do not jest."

"Jest?" He murmured, fingers softening as he noticed the deceiving delicateness of her bones. "You're built like a bird - a sleek predator; such beautiful lines. I'd like a name, little love."

"I think it's best that we avoid names."

"Klaus."

Caroline glanced back up from where she'd glanced at his chest, lips compressed. He smiled with the entirety of his face, eyes dancing. "You're an ass."

"Surprisingly, you're not the first to suggest that," Klaus drawled. "I'm going to have to insist now, sweetheart."

"Caroline."

She pursed her lips at the lingering way he repeated her name. Dragging her gaze from his face, she pushed her magic back into his skin. "Great, glad we're past that - now be still."

"What exactly are you doing?" Klaus asked, thumbs stroking across the veins in her wrists.

"Correcting a mistake."

Her hands sparked as he pulled her away from his skin and she hissed between her teeth. Klaus watched her, face draining of all amusement. "I don't like magic."

"Well, at least you've common sense," Caroline ground out. "No one should like magic. The price is too high. If you'll let go, I'll take the spell back, okay? No harm, no foul."

"And what exactly do you want back?" Klaus questioned, his voice honed like a blade.

"My heart."

His gripped loosened with surprise and she slammed her hands against his chest, not bothering to be polite this time. He staggered and she followed, muttered words under her breath in a rush.

She felt it, her heart cradled in his chest. Caroline ground her teeth as she reached for it with her magic, forcibly immobilizing the vampire who was trying to grab her. She was a breath from finishing the spell when she heard the sound of shattering glass and agony slammed into her back.

Caroline went down. She'd nearly hit the floor when she was caught, the room a blur from agony and movement she couldn't follow. The cool press of tile told her they were in the bathroom but taking a breath was beyond her.

"Caroline," Klaus voice cut into her panic, and she gasped out a sob. "Shhh, sweetheart, I know - the arrow missed your vitals."

Lashes fluttering, she tried to focus. "Iron."

It was sinking into her bones, catching in her lungs and if she could see the wound, it would be grey. Choking, she gagged at the taste of it in her mouth. "Allergic."

"If I remove it, you might bleed out," Klaus said flatly, hands hot against her skin. "I cannot give you blood if you have an allergy to iron."

"Pull it."

Oh god, it hurt. Spine arched, she scrabbled into the tile with a hissing sob, gasped for air as she struggled to breath. Tears were hot on her face, and she struggled to stay still - to avoid stressing her wound even as his hands pressed into it.

The front door crunched under the weight of bodies. Klaus went still beside her, and she rolled her head to the side to look at him. The monster wasn't showing, but the darkness behind his eyes was violent.

"Run," Caroline rasped. Those eyes dropped to her and she just looked at him. She didn't have the breath to warn him about the elvish hunters - couldn't tell him about the last remaining dregs of a war ended centuries before her birth. Her tongue was heavy in her mouth, body flushed with iron-fever, gaze unfocused as footsteps approached.

"Oh sweetheart," Klaus murmured, voice soft. "I'm not the one who runs."

Her eyes slid shut as shadows gathered in the doorway. The low, musical words were elvish and she made a whimpering noise, even as Klaus' bloody fingers stroked her back. She could understand enough that they thought they'd interrupted her hiding her heart, and she struggled not to faint.

"We don't have an issue with you, vampire." One of them finally spoke, the words biting into the air. "Leave the Unseelie to die."

"Unseelie, is that what you are then, sweetheart?" Klaus murmured. "Here I thought they were simply myth."

"So says the unclean. We will kill you to finish her."

"Now that, I have a problem with." Klaus said, the edge in his voice a warning that she picked up on even through her pain. "Unfortunately for you, I'm hardly a mere vampire."

Caroline fluttered her burning lashes open, watched as Klaus casually pulled the heart from one of the fae's chest. The monster on his face was yellow and black, and the enchanted blades slowed him not at all; he moved too fast for her to track. The glyphs hurt her eyes as he sank his fangs into the last, biting hard until the elf stopped fighting, face pale and twisted in pain.

It wasn't until Klaus pulled back, capturing the eyes of the dying elf that alarm rolled through her system.

"Why iron?"

"It's poison," the words were flat, a dying rasp and Caroline gasped in shock. Fae couldn't be compelled. "She will die from it."

"How do I heal her?" Klaus snarled, his teeth bared.

"Blood, if iron hasn't reached her heart."

Klaus wrenched the elf's neck, licked his lips as he turned. Caroline could only watch as he stalked back to her, lifting her into his arms before walking back to the bed. Lying with her bleeding back against his chest, he pressed a torn wrist to her lips.

"Drink."

Caroline hesitated.

"Sweetheart," Klaus murmured into her hair, hand stroking her hip. "Do you think I do not understand the truth to his words? If you wish to argue with me about returning your heart, you need to heal."

Her sharpened incisors pressed into his cut, and she swallowed gulping mouthfuls, moaned a little at the taste of him. She was so careful when she fed, not daring to leave a body, but his blood was rich and decadent on her tongue. She could feel her back mend, the worst of the iron-fever fading as her body converted the blood to dilute what was in her veins; oxidized iron no threat to her. When Klaus pulled his wrist away, she failed to stifle the whine in her throat.

"You can have more later," he soothed, easing her into the bed so he could see her face. Caroline stared up at him as he wiped her lips clean, licked the blood from his fingers.

"What are you," Caroline rasped. "Vampires cannot compel Fae."

He smiled, stroked his fingers down her throat, and between her breasts before tracing the delicate bones of her collarbones. "A hybrid, The Hybrid, to be exact. You'll find many of the rules do not apply to me."

She wanted to be alarmed. Instead, she watched him from hooded eyes as he continued to stroke her body, tracing the curves of her breasts. "Give me my heart."

He pressed his palm over the echo in her chest, studied her from beneath his lashes. "Why?"

"It's mine."

His lips curled, dimples flirting from his cheeks. "You gave it to me."

"You don't know that," Caroline argued, ignoring the way his heat sank into her skin, nipples tight beneath her dress.

"No?" Klaus drawled, leaning close to kiss the corner of her mouth, hand sliding to cup her breast. "I have no magic, to take such a precious package, and I've no memory of compelling you; no memory of being told to even ask for such a gift."

Her breath hitched in uneven little bursts as he rubbed her nipple with his thumb, throat moving as she swallowed a moan. "They'll hunt you, if you keep it."

He moved to straddle her, crowding her into the ruined sheets. His shirt was standing with her blood, hands streaked with rust. "Who will?"

"Those left of the white court," Caroline said warily. "The few who escaped. It's better if you walk away."

He slid a hand along the outside of her thigh, stroked patterns against the back of her knee. "Why?"

"Why?"

He smiled, ran his free hand along her ribs, shifted so her legs bracketed him. "Why would they hunt me?"

She stared at him, lip sliding between her teeth. Klaus smiled, tugged at her neckline so that it slowly bared the curve of her breasts. "Shall I guess?"

"This is a terrible idea." Caroline whispered.

"You would have died from iron poisoning, had it reached your heart. Hard to do that, if your heart is in my keeping." He made an appreciative noise as the stretchy fabric finally tore, her breasts suddenly bare. "Tell me, Caroline, if I have your heart will iron kill you?"

Alarmed, she shook her head, lips parting to lie but his head bent, his tongue a slow caress against her nipple. Caroline moaned, spine arching when he sucked her breast into his mouth, teeth and tongue burning through her as hotly as iron. He released her skin with a wet noise and she moaned.

"The truth."

"Unseelie can hide their hearts," Caroline told him, voice rough with arousal. "Yes, it makes me harder to kill, but I'm not truly immortal - I'm only half-Unseelie. If you die with my heart, I'd die with you. Give it back, Klaus."

"No."

Her eyes flashed, split pupils dark against the blue of her eyes. "Yes."

"No," Klaus repeated, sliding his hand beneath her ass to hoist her into his lap. Her snarl only widened his smile. "I cannot be killed, Caroline."

She paused, body straining not to touch him, the tips of her breasts rubbing against his skin with each breath. "What?"

He nuzzled her throat; nipped stinging kisses against her skin and soothed with his tongue. "Such a beautiful little predator. I can smell your want, Caroline, I feel the rapid beat of your pulse in my chest. I know you feel my cock, how much I want you - what does your heart tell you about me?"

"Everything dies."

He bit her chin, dragged his teeth to see the mark. "You chose me."

She moaned as he palmed her ass, and rolled her hips down with another little noise."You're cheating."

He kissed a line across her cheek, lingered at her temple. "Cheating would be driving my cock into the wet heat of you until you scream, wringing every possible orgasm from your desperate body; until your voice is hoarse, until you beg for rest. I would not care if someone walked in the shattered door, if they saw you writhing and slick with sweat, your body's spread open for me. Cheating would be engraining my scent, my touch along your skin until you carried me as tightly as I now carry you."

She stared at him, lips parted with surprise.

Klaus hoisted her as he stood, encouraging her legs to curl around his waist. He held her easily, pressed their foreheads together. "Do you want me, Caroline?"

"Does that matter?" She asked, staring at him with her brows tucked together.

His face was solemn. "For you? Yes."

Caroline reached up, touched his jaw. "How old are you?"

"Old enough to be surprised to find something new," he murmured. "Would you believe me if I told you that you are safe with me?"

She studied him, considered what her heart told her about the man who held it. "Yes, although maybe I shouldn't."

"Perhaps, but only time will tell." Klaus traced her spine with a fingertip, watched her from covetous eyes. "I can show you the world, little love, if you'll let me."

He meant it. Caroline studied him, wondered a little bit at the monster who held her so easily. Made a decision. She'd take her heart back by force, if necessary, immortal creature or not.

"Yes."

* * *

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	11. Here Be Monsters

This is for willowaus, who started the conversation that prompted this. And for goldcaught, because that was just unnecessary. And thanks to livingdeadblondequeen for the beta, since Sophie needs sleep like a normal person…

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There is a little bit of angst to start, but then there is porn. So!

Caroline knew predators.

They slid beneath the skin, darkened the eyes with malady and thirst, left your throat dry for that metallic rush. Humans called them monsters, the horror that walked among them. A hundred years, and she'd come to terms with her choices.

Monsters didn't need need fangs to be monstrous. Horrors weren't always nightmares dripping blood, licking up fear and adrenaline like wine. Sometimes they were just people. People who carried flesh and bone, blunt human teeth and were so determined that were right they couldn't bend.

When she was seventeen, her best friend's face killed her. Frightened, horrified by the new creature beneath her skin - with memories of a pretty face and beautiful lies, terror and shame - and ran to the only safe haven she'd known.

Mom.

Mommy.

Please.

Caroline thought that some things stayed with you through eternity. The rejection, the utter and absolute repudiation of a parent. The first, desperate mouthful of your first kill - a beggar, as cold and lost as she - and the realization that seventeen years prepared you for being completely alone not at all.

Liz didn't want her.

Her dad hunted her.

Was that really her first sin? Choosing life? Fighting with a predator's desire to live, until something broke open underneath the sunlight and torture, until the Caroline who left behind her father's corpse held iron in her bones. She wasn't prey, not anymore. You didn't take a creature born of nature, and she couldn't tame the graveyard of her bones.

But there were always more predators. So she learned the ropes through trial and error, sidestepped the bigger supernatural cities and spread her wings. She found a daylight ring in Rome, taught herself to hunt in the winding streets of Paris, and learned to accept herself in the bitterness of a Russian winter.

She embraced the vampire, standing in an endless winter, blood caked to boots; snowflakes glittering in her ruined curls. Maybe someone else would have chosen different, but Caroline had learned something about herself that frozen night.

She refused to bend.

Not anymore.

She hadn't.

The club in Shanghai was packed, but sweat and booze, the lingering scent of tobacco in the hot air couldn't quite hide the familiar hint of vampire. Curiosity curled down her spine, monster sliding along her skin and she let it linger, danger prickling.

The old vampires, they disliked these scenes. She roamed them because she was strong enough to defend herself, pretty enough she didn't need compulsion. No one expected her to be dangerous, and she let them chase her until she caught them, fangs and claws digging deep.

But this scent was old. Older than those few truly ancient nightmares she glimpsed in Rome, in Paris. Another reason to chase newer cities, places without a known territory.

Letting go of the boy she was nibbling on, Caroline headed for the bar. Leaving would probably be a safer course, but she'd stopped taking that road ages ago. Accepting her Bloody Mary was a smile, she turned and her gaze collided with a familiar face. Sighing heavily, she took a sip of blood and vodka.

"You were supposed to leave."

Caroline gave the hybrid in front of her a flat stare. She wasn't sure when this particular mixed breed had started to show up, just that they were really annoying. None of the few she'd met were old, but all of them liked to hunt her. They were creeping into the places she loved most and she was getting tired of it.

"I don't remember getting an eviction notice," Caroline told him coolly. If he was with his friends, she'd be in a bit of trouble, but this establishment had a very firm no fighting rule. She'd have enough of a head start to slip away.

"You killed Gregory," he snapped, stepping into her personal bubble and her eyes went black in warning.

"Gregory should have listened when I told him to keep his hand off my ass," Caroline returned, keeping her weight on her toes. "He wouldn't have lost his heart if he hadn't tried to bite me."

"Well, sweetheart, I can hardly blame him," the accented, rumble of a voice moved across her skin like a caress. "But ruining my toys doesn't generally end well for others."

The hybrid shifted back, chin drooping with lowered eyes and Caroline shifted so she could see who the new player was while watching his apparent lapdog. Her stomach jumped, nerves hypersensitive as she took in the man watching her with curious eyes. Rumpled curls, curling lips and dimpled, he was the fantasy she'd never had.

"You've terrible taste if that's the best you can find," the words tripped along her tongue before she could hold them in. She arched a brow at his arch look, ignored the snarl near her elbow.

The baby hybrid wasn't the threat.

"It's been suggested," he smiled suddenly, dimples deep. "Let me buy you a drink to make up for it."

She snorted. "No thanks."

Iron flickered behind his gaze, followed by amusement. When he spoke, his voice was soft. "No?"

She tossed her curls, met those feral eyes. "I make a point not to accept drinks from vampires I can't eat. And I don't particular care for hybrids - they slobber. Thanks, but no thanks."

He blinked and she stepped around his toy, slipped back into the crowd. Ignored the gaze burning a line down her spine. Glancing from behind her hair, she wondered who he was.

* * *

Caroline rolled her shoulder, wincing at the burn. Glancing at the long gash, she felt a rush of relief that the wound was red and white, the tell all black of venom missing. She'd come across a vampire dying from a werewolf bite before, it looked like an awful way to go. Looking down at the hybrid, she dropped his heart and kicked him with a growl.

"That looks painful."

Caroline twisted and glared at the hybrid watching her. She lifted her bloody hand and pointed at him. "If this was your idea of a joke, I'm not amused."

Another of those flickering, thoughtful glances. "This is the third of my hybrids you've killed, little vampire."

Something about the calmness, the careful containment of his words left her wary. His mouth curved as he read it in her face and she shrugged, trying not to wince.

"Your hybrids see to be infected with terminal idiocy. And why three?"

"You don't strike me as the type to take slobber well," he murmured as he motioned to her shoulder. Knowing full well that she'd no chance to overpower him, she let him examine her healing arm. "He should have been able to overpower you."

"So a test then?"

"I was curious when he disappeared shortly after you finished your snack on the dance floor." Her skin tingled where he touched her, his fingertips surprisingly careful. "If I wanted you dead, little vampire, I'd kill you myself."

Alarm raced down her spine, but she rolled her eyes. "You're dating yourself."

"Oh?"

"Hmm, but since you come across as old as dirt, I suppose that's expected." She stepped away from his hands, scowled when he caught her wrist.

"Look, if your hybrids would stop bothering me, I wouldn't have to kill them. I certainly would prefer to avoid being bit."

Another laughing glance as he brought her hand to his mouth and licked a line up her bloody palm. Breath hitching in her lungs, her lips parted on an inhale as he sucked the tips of her fingers clean, eyes bleeding gold.

"Murder suits you." Her lashes fluttered as he scrapped teeth along the underside of her wrist. "Let me make it up to you."

She narrowed her gaze and tilted her head. There was no point in denying the affect he had on her libido, not out here where it was just the two of them. Not when he hadn't bothered to mask his arousal." I don't know. Do you slobber?"

A huff against her skin and then he pulled her smoothly against his chest, mouth fitting along hers. His kiss was lazy, his mouth stained with blood and expensive whiskey. She parted her lips, licked her tongue against his, hummed as he courted her mouth. She forgot about her shoulder, fisted her hands in his curls and moaned as his hand cupped her ass.

"I should practice," he murmured, voice rough with arousal as he feathered his lips against jaw, nipped at her ear. "How do you feel about multiple orgasms, sweetheart?"

Caroline dug her nails into his scalp, dragged her hands deliberately rough down to his neck. Watched the veins crawl into those yellow eyes and and made a little noise in her throat.

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"You'll find, love, that I make very few promises," he dragged his thumb across her lower lip. "But I always keep them."

* * *

Klaus closed his phone with a snap, eyes narrowed as he considered the vital information that Elijah had felt necessary to wake up for. He'd been less than pleased to untangle himself from the vicious little predator he'd ruined his sheets with, had paused to admire the gold of her hair against his pillows. She was an interesting puzzle, this young irreverent vampire. She was clever enough to kill his hybrids, but clearly had no idea of his identity.

It was a puzzle.

He'd been unexpectedly charmed by the grumbling, grumpy noises as she'd buried herself under his pillow. He wasn't one for morning afters, rarely shared his bed for an extended period of time; yet, he'd found himself unable to remove her post-sex, amused by the way she sprawled into his space rather than annoyed.

Elijah had been right to call, but that didn't cool his ire. Elena had passed in her sleep. Thankfully they were able to drain the body, adding to the store of doppelganger blood he'd collected over the years. It'd be a few centuries before he located with the next Salvatore or Petrova Doppelganger.

His gaze flicked to the door separating him from his bedroom and he decided to deal with everything else later. The little vampire in his bed owed him a name. He was curious if she'd wake grumpy with his tongue between her thighs. Sliding back from his desk, he moved on silent feet into the bedroom and scowled.

His bed was empty.

Only the lingering scent of her arousal and perfume remained to show that she'd even been there.

Well, _well_.

* * *

Caroline dropped her paperback in boredom, sighed heavily. The latest wave of paranormal romances left a lot to be desired with both it and smut. The one thing you never considered as you aged.

Your favorite authors were going to die.

Sliding to her feet, she grabbed her bag and adjusted her sunglasses. The resort was beautiful, Greece was amazing but she was bored. Taking a lungful of ocean air, eyes popped open in surprise. Turning her head, she blinked rapidly at the sight of the man who was watching her from behind a pair of dark glasses.

That was a surprise.

She had to give him credit though, that was the best one night stand of her life. The things he could do with his tongue…

Caroline wondered what he was doing here of all places. She'd made a rather pointed effort to avoid any and all hybrids, shifting to fewer clubs and more remote escapes over the past decade. The little return to nature had done her some good, but there was really only so many trees a girl could look at. Worse, was the random sex wasn't nearly as fun when compared to the sheet tearing she'd enjoyed with the nameless, older hybrid.

Waving when it was clear he was staring at her, she set off for her room. There was no way she was approaching him, even a decade after their little tryst,she really preferred to avoid those awkward hellos. It was why she'd snuck out - barefooted, her skirt ripped but salvageable, a stolen shirt hanging off one shoulder.

"Running away again? I thought better of you, sweetheart. I remember a little more bite."

Caroline turned and blinked at him. "Hi."

His mouth curved, dimples barely there. "That's all I get? After multiple screaming orgasms and your disappearance?"

"Well, I figured you being ancient and old fashioned, that I'd save us both the trouble of that awkward post-coital morning after talk," she shrugged. "Seemed to have worked out."

He reached out, wound a curl around his finger. "I hadn't had my fill yet of grumpy baby vampire. I've found the awkwardness is greatly reduced with my tongue on your clit; I was most interested in finding out how best to turn you from languid and sated to a screaming, desperate wreck. If I'd wanted you to leave, I'd have made it clear."

Caroline blinked. "Well, opportunities lost and all."

He chuckled, sliding his hand to her neck. "And yet, here you are."

"Let's call it coincidence and move on," Caroline suggested.

"Let's," he agreed before pressing his lips to her clavicle. Her breath hitched hands sliding to his waist as he licked along her skin, lingering at her throat in a way that curled her toes. For a moment she considered pushing him back, ignoring the immediate and desperate ache between her thighs as fangs brushed her skin.

She could do a vacation fling.

She'd slip away if necessary. He didn't chase her previously. She couldn't imagine he would this time. Old vampires were strange, and she always had a plan or two for an exit strategy.

"I'm not having public sex," Caroline warned him and he laughed against her skin. In an instant, he had swung her into his arms and she blinked at him. "Really?"

"Hmmm," he agreed, the noise low and rough in his chest. She couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up as he flashed them to a room, giving in when he dropped her onto a bed. She smiled at him, ignoring the way his eyes darkened as she looked at him.

"So impatient," she teased, falling back onto the mattress, her dimples creasing her cheeks. "Let's see if dementia has set in or if you remember your way around a girl's orgasm."

Those blond tipped lashes hooded his gaze, and he peeled his shirt off with little dimpled smirk. "You're going to regret that challenge, love. I'm inclined to make you beg."

She kicked off her sandals but otherwise remained completely clothed, let her eyes tease as he feathered his hands against her calves.

"Promises."

"I believe I've already warned you once," he said as he hoisted her ass into the air, letting her calves hook over his shoulder. "I don't believe you deserve a second."

Caroline's breath hitched as the skirt of bright little sundress settled around her stomach. The pale pink of her lace panties were the only barrier as he cupped her ass, fingers digging lightly before his head bent and he ghosted his breath against her thighs.

His tongue flicked against one thigh, teeth a sharp sting and her muscles jerked against his hold. Her fingers fisted in the bed-cover as he skated his lips across her, the faintest brush of tongue against her clit before he sucked hard on the other thigh. He repeated the lazy back and forth until she was more than damp, squirming uselessly against his hold.

Without warning, he pressed his mouth against her, licked along the damp fabric with rough strokes of his tongue and she groaned. Her voice caught as he sucked on her clit, tongue leaving the fabric even wetter when he pulled back as she tried to ride his mouth. A devil's smile place, he licked his lips.

"Did you want something, sweetheart?"

"You're being an ass."

He clicked his tongue, massaged her ass. "Come now, that's hardly polite. Here I am, trying to remember my way around your preferences, and you're being rude."

Her gaze was hardly impressed as she looked at him. "Try harder."

The curling innocence of his smile had her rolling her eyes and he nudged her clit with his chin, scruff an unexpected sensation and she shuddered.

"Would you like me to tear this pretty lace from your skin, love?" His voice was a rumble of sound, hands brushing on her ass. "Slid my tongue inside you, suck your clit until you come?"

Her stomach flipped. "Yes."

Another slow stroke of his beard and he grinned. "Yes, what?"

She cursed under her breath and he waited. "I'd like you to use your tongue to make me come. Please."

"I'm not sure you meant that."

Before she could protest he flipped her, so that she was on her knees, hands scrambling for purchase. She'd reared up, a snarl in her throat when he pressed against her spine, erection hard against her ass.

His hand pressed into her abdomen and she went still. "Maybe you should show me what you like."

"What?"

He tugged one hand, forced her to depend on him to help balance her weight and pressed her fingers to her wet panties. She turned her head and met his hot stare with her own.

"I'm hardly intimidated by a little masturbation."

He kissed her, all teeth and tongue. "My apologies love, but in my old age I need a few reminders."

She rolled her eyes, slipped her fingers just inside the lace. "You can't see from this angle."

"I don't need to watch your hand, the glide of your fingers," he murmured. "I just need to listen - those little wet strokes, the rapid beat of your pulse, and the hitch in your lungs."

She shuddered, circled her clit with a fingertip, delved lower to coat her fingers before sliding back up. His eyes never left her profile as she caught her lip between her teeth. He kissed her shoulder, hummed his encouragement as her head fell forward, wet fingertips gliding in practiced circles.

The first, curling flare of heat and he pulled her hand free. Caroline snarled at him, eyes turning black even as he sucked her fingers into mouth. She twisted, went to wrap a thigh around his waist when he kissed her. It was nearly brutal, mouths harsh as a hand tugged her panties free and then she was flat again.

"I swear to god," she started, aroused and frustrated, unwilling to play a doll. He cut her off his with mouth, sucking hard on her clit. She nearly orgasmed from that one on delicious pull, shook at the softest stroke of his tongue. Arching, hands ripping the sheets, she whined loudly as he delved lower, ignored her attempt to clamp down with her thighs. He lapped at her, until she wasn't so shaky, then returned to her clit until she was _so close_.

"Oh god, please," Caroline gasped after that third, torturous near-orgasm. "Please, please, _please_."

The softest kiss against her clit; a pleased little hum and then broad and wet, he licked at her clit, the angle and pressure tipping her over the edge. Her heels dug sharply into his back, spine arching as she came. Without warning, he sucked her clit into his mouth and she clawed at the sheets as her orgasm kept going, nearly painful in its intensity.

She just started to come down when he flipped her again. Caroline snarled into the bed, tried to get the muscle coordination to glare at him but the sound of clothing being shucked was followed by his hot lips at the base of her spine.

"Such a fierce predator," he whispered before lifting her hips and pressing the head of his cock inside her. Still sensitive, she shook through each slow inch, her dress clinging uncomfortably to the fabric between her breasts, at her shoulder blades. He made a pleased little noise as he stilled before pulling out and pushing back in. He kept each stroke slow until she pushed back.

She yelped at the sudden, sharp thrust. He didn't slow, kept the pace hard, one hand slipping beneath her to stroke her straight into another orgasm. She screamed, clamping down hard as he followed her shortly, his orgasm hot inside her.

They laid there for long moments, before he finally lifted his head. "When are you going to tell me your name?"

"When you make it worth my while," she grumbled, and he laughed.

"You just can't help yourself, can you, love?" He kissed what skin he could reach, smiled when she hummed. "Just have to bait the monster."

"Just being honest," she wiggled until he let her up, pulled her dress off and tossed it aside. "Don't be possessive, this is just a fling."

His eyes narrowed and the challenge their startled her. "Two challenges? Even vampires can have difficulty walking."

He was right, she couldn't help herself. Smiling up at him, she brushed her fingers through his beard. "So you say."

* * *

Klaus opened his eyes when something tightened around his wrists. Snarling, he jerked but the headboard and ropes held. He stared at that defiant little face, the stubborn tilt of her chin and was torn between wrenching his arms loose to strangle her and throwing her back onto the bed and teaching her to beg again.

"Sweetheart," he ground out. "This is a supremely stupid decision."

"Look, the sex? It's great. But I don't even know your name and no, I don't want it. Let's just bygones be bygones, okay? I got those ropes from a friend, they'll break in about six hours." She scowled at him when he bared his teeth. "Hey, you're the one who went all possessive."

"You just had them lying around?" Klaus bit out, words little more than a snarl.

She shook out her dress, eyed him. "I like to be prepared. I mean, I wasn't expecting you per se, but I have my drinking rules for a reason. Some of you assholes tend to get possessive or like having little collections."

Klaus stopped glaring, let his muscles relax as he absorbed her words, the flicker of defiance behind her eyes. He found himself enraged for reasons that had nothing to do with being outsmarted a second time, the possession she dismissed a hot ball in his chest.

"Walking out that door isn't going to be a wise decision, sweetheart."

"Staying would be a lot stupider. I don't like bullies." She held up her finger, pointed at him. "I told you I don't like after sex conversations."

"You liked me just fine an hour ago."

"I liked your tongue, thanks for the follow up on grown ass hybrids not drooling. But seriously, don't follow me." She picked up her bag and stared at him.

Klaus leaned back and shook his head. "You're going to regret this."

"Um, no."

"Next time," Klaus murmured softly. "I'm going to wreck you, until moving is a distant ideal, until your bones melt into my bed."

"There won't be a next time."

"Until then, little love."

Her lips compressed, verbally restraining the comment he knew was on the tip of her tongue. Then she turned on her heel and left, hips swaying beneath her bright sundress. Oh no. There would be a next time. And it was going to be the last time she walked away from him.

Twisting his wrists, he let the ropes rub them raw, the scent of his blood hot in the room. It took far too long for his blood to nullify the magic, and he knew she was gone. Holding the ropes in his hand Klaus smiled.

This time, he had a starting point.

He'd get his name.

Then he go pay a visit to a few of the older vampires who liked their collections. See which one thought adding the golden haired predator that belonged to him to their set. Then he'd start his hunt in earnest.

* * *

He stepped inside the mansion that had been converted to a training ground for his Hybrids. Brazil wasn't his favorite part of the world, which worked well enough. Less chance of them ruining things.

He'd gotten a text from Kol letting him know they'd rounded up the last of the Vampires made in Mystic Falls. Between the Salvatore's and dear deceased Katerina, he was determined to remove the last of those connected to his past. He had no intention of the truth of the doppelgangers to live anywhere except among his siblings.

This particular vampire had gotten bitten, and while he'd normally let it die, his understanding was the vampire was refusing to cooperate. He needed to know what was known and who'd been told before the usual, painful death.

Tucking his phone away, Klaus headed to the last cage and froze. She was curled on her side, filthy curls falling over her face; her breathing labored from the wolf venom. He knew the lines of her face, that specific shade of golden hair.

His missing little predator.

His report said she'd killed four of his hybrids.

His sunshine monster with her wicked tongue and crafty brain was created in Mystic Falls. He'd seen no sign of her when he completed the ritual, although he did vaguely recall Katerina cursing a replacement…

Caroline Forbes.

For a moment, he considered leaving her. She wound too tightly in his chest after two encounters, had left him hunting for two decades. What would a century give her?

"Sweetheart, we really must discuss your attraction to trouble," Klaus murmured as he ripped the cell open, knelt next to her on the floor. Her lashes fluttered and she blinked unfocused eyes.

"I'm dying," she murmured, "and I'm stuck with you?"

"Come now Caroline," Klaus murmured, lifting her into his lap. "You can't escape me quite so easily as death."

She grunted, shuddered with fever. Her fingers curled in his shirt and he bit into his wrist.

"This one isn't my fault," She told him, voice fading. "You're the only one I'm mean too."

"Shh," Klaus soothed, offering his bloody wrist. "This will make you feel better and I've a promise to keep."

She drank heavily before he tugged his wrist free. Standing, he cradled her close as she grumbled against his skin, breath evening out against his throat. He took her upstairs, settled her into a bed until he'd finished dealing with his hybrids.

* * *

Caroline woke naked, the stink of the cells still on her skin. For a moment, she wondered why she was still alive. She had some pretty crazy hallucinations and she could have sworn that her really hot hookup had shown up and given her blood.

She was probably dead.

But the witches always said death was boring and she heard a tub. Sitting up, her breath caught at the understated opulence of the room, the gorgeous views outside. Licking her lips, she was startled to find the horrible thirst that has wracked her for days was gone.

"Feeling better, love?"

Caroline turned her head and blinked. She scrunched her nose. "Well, there goes the dead theory. Even I'm not so unlucky to die and then be stuck with you."

He shook his head. "Interested in a bath?"

"You're being nice to me," she said suspiciously. "Why?"

"The bath, Caroline," he smiled at her when she jumped in surprise at her name. "We have a few things to discuss and someone needs to change those sheets."

She huffed. There was no point in pretending modesty. "I'm not getting into the tub stinking like… whatever this smell is if that alright with you?"

"Shampoo and conditioner are in the shower."

She moved quick, because she really wanted to know what the hell was going on. She just slipped into the hot water of the over-sized tub when Klaus walked in, two glasses and a bottle of champagne in his hand.

"Are we sure I'm not dead?"

Amused eyes, glittering as he sat everything down on a small table. "Why?"

"You're being romantic and I'm pretty sure it might be a sign of the apocalypse," Caroline said warily.

"You wouldn't know, since you insist on running," he told her before he started to strip. Caroline let herself admire the clean lines of him and sighed.

"Minor details," she dismissed. "I suppose you're not inclined to tell me your name since you somehow got mine."

He finished pouring the flutes and smiled, his gaze bright. "Klaus."

She almost slipped under the water. Glaring at his laughter, she scowled. Accepted the champagne and downed half of it. "Bloody hell."

"So you have heard of me," Klaus mused as he settled on the opposite side of the tub, watching her with predator's eyes. "You're such a recluse, I wasn't certain."

"You're fishing," she accused, scowling. "And I'm not a recluse, I'm just selective."

"Sweetheart, finding someone in this digital age isn't difficult. Yet, each time I find you, you've slipped through my fingers and have avoided all of my networks."

Caroline sighed and sipped her drink. "Self-preservation, honestly, why would I want to play vampire politics? I was turned as collateral damage and I took that lesson to heart."

"What lesson was that?" He asked, head tilted in genuine curiosity.

"Don't be prey."

"Who turned you, Caroline?"

She arched both brows. "First, stop that. Second, why is this important?"

A little smirk, but he sobered. "Because my hybrids were hunting the last of the vampires made in Mystic Falls."

She sat her glass on the edge of the tub, stared at him. "You were involved in whatever happened to Elena."

His eyes went flat. "Yes."

"How long did it take Damon to die?" She asked, eyes curious. "Stefan never actually managed to articulate that to me. He was missing his tongue at the time, so that might have been part of it."

"Damon turned you?" His voice went soft, dangerous in a way that ran down her spine.

"No," she shrugged. "I thought Elena did, but Stefan was trying to tell me something about doppelgangers that I didn't much care about. Why?"

Klaus set his glass down, studied her defiant eyes. "Because I intend to lay the world at your feet, and I dislike surprises. The hybrids who bit you are dead, and your past is dangerous."

"I don't need you to give me anything," Caroline told him firmly. "When I was seventeen I was killed, changed, abandoned and hunted by those I loved. I don't need you."

"Yet," Klaus pointed out in amusement, "you weren't surprised to hallucinate me. Just disgruntled."

She stepped out if the tub and reached for a towel. Wet hands caught hers, turned her to face him as they dripped onto the rug. "Do you want me Caroline?"

"You're a lot more complicated than the guy who randomly showed up to dole out orgasms," she muttered stubbornly. "I hate politics"

He pushed away her wet hair, cupped her face. "You can eat any of them."

She rolled her eyes, tried not to smile. She glanced up at him, teeth rolling her lip. "You saved me from the werewolf poison."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I considered letting you die, I watched you heave for air." His gaze narrowed, turned contemplative. "But the most fun, the most interesting my life has been the century since I broke my curse involved you. You're clever and vicious, crafty enough to survive against the odds. I want you in my life."

She pursed her lips. "You're disgustingly romantic."

He shrugged. "I can bring you a few beating hearts if you prefer."

"Maybe for Valentine's," she decided as she curled her arms around his neck, pressed her breasts against his chest with a sigh. "Do not be cliche - you're a dinosaur, not an idiot."

He nipped her lower lip, licked the sting until she leaned into him. "Is that a yes?"

Caroline dragged her hand up into his wet curls, watched him shiver at the sting of her nails. "As long as you make it worth my while."

His gaze went nearly black, gold crawling along his iris. "You really don't learn."

She bit his lip until he bled. Licked up the blood with a little purr. "You're so cute when you're riled."

She started laughing when he hoisted her up, stomach pressing against his shoulder and didn't stop until he flung her onto the bed and sealed his mouth over hers.

* * *

 _Please Comment_


	12. Dream of Bloodwine on Your Tongue

Happy Birthday livingdeadblondequeen . I'm a little bit over a week late, but I hope it was awesome and that you enjoy this little story. It got a little out of hand on me, but I think we're all used to that at this point?

Thank you to justanotherfiveminutes and arustykiss for beta-reading. Plus those dear, dear people who listen to me fret over scenes. :)

* * *

Caroline woke in tangled sheets, sweat beaded between her breasts and her underwear uncomfortably damp. Panting heavily into the moonlit silence of her room, she shoved the blanket away from her body and shuddered as it brushed against nerves that still burned. If she let her mind drift just a little, she could feel the burn of stubble against her thighs. That soft, slick tongue.

Shivering, arousal singing hot and heady, she took very careful breaths. She'd never dreamed so vividly - until she _ached_. The last two nights had been the same; gasping awake on the brink of orgasm, body bowed or twisted as she struggled for release. She'd feel way less guilty if she was dreaming about her boyfriend, or even Stefan. Stefan she could understand. But the wild curls and wicked tongue that were playing such a prominent role in her dreams belonged to neither of those men.

She hoped to God this was related to drinking his blood. Easily explainable, easy to push aside as part of her vampire nature she'd barely begun to explore. If it was the case, lesson learned. Blood sharing was dangerous.

Shifting to find a little more air, she shuddered as the autumn breeze from her windows rushed over her heated skin. Eyes glancing towards her firmly shut door, she caught her lip tightly between her teeth. Two nights had proven a cold shower did little to aid her sleep; masturbation didn't bother her, but the idea of coming to the image of Klaus between her thighs, tongue hot and perfect left her feeling guilty.

Was that better or worse than dreaming of him?

Okay, Klaus was ridiculously hot. She'd never seen someone physically define magnetic attraction before. There was just something about the way he could look at you, dimpled with that curling smile, that promised all sorts of sin. The unspoken promise of a screaming death didn't blunt the physical attraction the way it should've.

Just thinking of his mouth dragged her back to that smile against her skin, the carnal promise as he licked down the quivering muscles of her abdomen. That clever, clever tongue that a thousand years had left _gifted_. Shivering, heat a low throb between her thighs, Caroline spread her legs and closed her eyes.

Toes curling into her sheets, Caroline palmed her breasts and tasted blood as she tweaked a nipple that she half-expected to be wet; the memory of mouth and tongue, hot flecks and sucking kisses. The rasp of her cotton tank top was too much, and she tugged until the straps gave, fabric bunching. Dragging her hands across bare, sweat-slick flesh she let out a low whimper as she slipped practiced fingers inside her underwear. She was so tightly wound, she'd thought she'd fall right over the precipice. But it wasn't until she reached for her dream - the drag of scruff, hot breath against her skin, that first swipe of tongue - that she came with a muffled moan.

Chest heaving, she laid there for long moments, trying to balance herself. She was sticky with sweat, her room smelled of arousal and the salt of her exertion. Tomorrow, she'd have to do laundry, because she'd run out of clean sheets. Heaving onto her side, body no longer a painful throb, she stared at the cracks in her curtains and tried to sleep.

Why was she dreaming of Klaus?

* * *

She'd been avoiding sleep.

Stefan had made that serious eyebrow face at her when she'd swung by to raid their stash of blood bags. But there was no way in hell she was mentioning that the reason she was mainlining blood like Mountain Dew was to push her vampire capabilities. She needed a break from her erotic subconscious, and she refused to eat rabbits.

Plus, the extra blood hopefully had the added benefit of flushing whatever hybrid, blood-sharing side effects were causing these wet dreams out of her system. She was weeks ahead on her homework, she'd finished two college applications and her study plans for the SATs were way ahead of schedule.

She'd even started working on her prom folder.

If only the rest of her life was as easy to organize. They'd been invaded by a sudden slew of more originals, as if stuffy Elijah and homicidal Klaus weren't enough. Kol freaked her out on a hind-brain level she couldn't articulate and Rebekah was just such a bitch. She'd overheard Damon muttering about their mom being around and someone named Finn. The entire situation was confusing, no one was talking to her and her mom was giving her suspicious eyes again.

Honestly, she'd welcome the oblivion of sleep if it weren't for her hybrid track record. She'd seen him a few times, picking up Rebekah. The intensity of him rattled her. Sometimes, she thought he was trying to dig down to her bones with that gaze; there was a pit behind his eyes and it was _hungry_.

Caroline just didn't know for what.

She wished it was terrifying. Mostly, it was. But the part of her - the part with teeth, that thirsted for blood - was intrigued. Intrigued was bad. _Intrigued_ could only lead to dreams she wanted no part of and she truly hoped a week was enough time to de-hybrid her blood stream.

She'd avoid sleep just a little more, to be sure.

She didn't remember falling asleep. Which was why Caroline was confused when she became aware of lips dragging oh so slowly down her bare spine. She made a low noise of complaint, pressing her face back into her laundry scented sheets. A hot exhale that felt like a laugh, she squirmed at a soft bite against her skin. Drowsy shifted into a low thrum of arousal, and she inhaled sharply at the slow drag of a tongue.

"Such a grumpy baby vampire," dream-Klaus murmured against her skin. He feathered kisses in lazy patterns and she started to burn, even as she stubbornly kept her face in the sheets.

A hot, sucking kiss against her shoulder blade, and his fingertips traced the lines of her muscles. The bare expanse of her back was alive with sensation, and then he cupped the curve of her ass; fingers digging in while he licked across the base of her spine.

"On your knees, love."

She reached behind her and swatted. This was her dream, and like hell was she taking orders. She missed, which she sort of expected. Klaus made a noise that was a mix of amusement and indulgence. Caroline languidly turned that thought over, as she'd never have thought Klaus indulgent of anything, but his own whims. Obviously, fantasy-Klaus was a figment of her imagination; still, here he was painting her skin with fingertips and tongue, soothing even as he inflamed.

As if _she_ was an indulgence.

Caroline felt him shift behind her, stubble a rasp against her skin. His lips feathered lower and she shivered. God, if she wasn't so embarrassed by her subconscious she'd take notes for Tyler on foreplay.

Klaus bit the curve of her ass with human teeth.

Caroline yelped, pushing to her knees and elbows. The bed shifted and she spread her legs for balance, turning her head to glare at the smirking face of the man behind her. She got a glimpse of dimples before he gripped her thighs and lifted so that her weight was on her elbows. Caroline curled her fingers into the blanket with a growl, and everything she'd meant to say died at the first unexpected brush of his tongue.

She choked on a heaving breath as his tongue curled through her damp folds; the position was unexpected and she moaned, sinking back onto the mattress as he teased her slit with his mouth. Klaus coaxed her legs into the position he wanted, and she let him; her knees took her weight, thighs spread wide to accommodate him. He rewarded her when one long fingered hand reached forward and toyed with one nipple.

Caroline started to pant.

"Such a pretty little vampire," Klaus murmured as his head pulled away from her. She managed to swallow her whine, but barely. His fingers stayed on her breast, cupping her with a possessive hand as he tilted her hips just little higher. "Have your teenage lovers taken you this way, sweetheart? Eaten you out, with you completely submissive to each stroke of tongue?"

Why, why was her subconscious letting him speak? It was unfair, that he could curl that accent around words she might have otherwise found ridiculous into something that left her unbelievably wet. Submission wasn't her thing, the idea of it leaving her uncomfortable, but the sin he promised with his voice left her _oh so curious_. How good could this fantasy of hers get, if she let it wash her along? And this _was_ a fantasy, because Klaus sounded as if he wanted her; wanted to delve his tongue and lips against her until she came.

Impossible.

But _hot_.

Her thoughts were interrupted by another stinging bite and her hips jerked against his hold. Hissing, she tossed her hair and tried to push up to glare. "Seriously? Hybrid teeth in my ass would be a turn _off_. Been there, done that, thinking about getting a t-shirt and _oh my god_."

Her spine arched as he sucked her clit into his greedy mouth, tongue so fucking soft and slow; his scruff brushing against her folds with each movement they made. Her forehead pressed into her mattress and she whined his name, nails digging sharply into bedding. For a single moment, she didn't care that she was going to come on the tongue of her enemy, that her subconscious was betraying her.

Klaus hummed, the noise vibrating against her in a way that was _so fucking good_ and she woke abruptly, body vibrating through those first curling waves that promised she was _close_. She ignored the phone buzzing on her nightstand and shoved her hands under her clothes in pure desperation. Her fingers sunk easily inside her slick folds, palm grinding against her clit; her other hand fumbled with her breast until she pinched one aching nipple. There was no attempt to be quiet, no coordinated movement - just slick sounds as she strained for the release her body needed so badly. A thrust of fingers, a roll of her hips and she came with a short scream, body locking tightly as she rode out her orgasm.

After, she laid there for a long time, trying to understand her disappointment at waking.

* * *

The ball had been a disaster.

Caroline stripped, but she did so carefully. Shoes. Gloves. For a moment she let herself regret throwing back the bracelet. It was beautiful, but she'd never appreciated bribes and she couldn't imagine it being anything else.

Rome.

Paris.

 _Tokyo_.

Did he think she was a complete idiot?

Shucking her dress, she debated leaving it in a crumpled mess but finally hung it up. She was petty and stubborn, but not careless. Flopping onto her bed in her strapless bra and her seamless panties, she scowled at the wall. Klaus the Hybrid Overlord and his Great Superiority. She should've wanted to claw his eyes out. But that melting smile, the endless swallowing void behind his eyes had left her breathless. _Breathless_. She'd covered it as best she could with acerbic retorts, venom lacing sharp words.

And he'd laughed at her with those pretty eyes and charming dimples. Had offered her the world. Like it was real. As if he'd _meant it_.

The monster under her skin had pushed. The greedy bits of her heart, the covetous fingers that wanted everything he'd offered and then more. But she knew down to her bones the trap behind his lovely words. And she was smart, okay? You didn't make an offer like that without wanting something in return.

She just didn't understand.

Shuddering, Caroline tried not to think of the slide of his hands, the cadence of his words as he spoke. The subtle bite of his cologne mixed with the scent of hybrid. Tyler carried that scent now, but on Klaus it left her mouth bone dry.

Hence the champagne.

Those were things she didn't need. Little details she was terrified would fill out dreams that were already too intense. It just wasn't fair, that satan was so beautiful. She could've sworn her teeth hurt, the need to bite those perfect lips was so strong.

Sighing, she rolled onto her side and let herself relax, determined to wait up for her mom. Whatever this bloody mental fascination was she was willing to roll the dice on dreaming tonight. Assault on her senses Klaus had been, but his eyes as she turned to leave - rage and warning, a calculation that chilled her.

Even her libido took a hit on that.

She drifted slowly, eased into dreams that caught her with their color. Lips curling at the sound of horse, she spun and her mood shifted into irritation. Klaus stalked across the green grass, gaze predatory. Spine straightening, furious with herself and him, she parted her lips to tell him to _get_ _out_.

Enough.

He caught her words with his mouth.

Lips slanting firm and soft against hers, he threaded his hands in her hair and took. She rocked onto her heels but he followed, and her back hit a flat surface she didn't remember seeing. It didn't matter, as his hands angled her chin and he sank her into mouth like a starving man.

Her head swam.

For a moment, she let him tease with flicks and parries, let the heat of him wash over her. But Caroline didn't know how to be passive and she'd thought of this all night. Wrecking that smug superiority with her lips and tongue. So she wrapped one arm around his neck, the other buried to her knuckles in his hair and she pressed up against the hard line of his body.

Then she kissed him.

Caroline took what _she_ wanted. That perfect upper lip. That lying tongue. She kissed until he shuddered, a noise in his throat that went straight to her clit. Until she felt that lean body melt, just a little. Then she bit with fangs until he bled and lapped at the wound until he yanked her head back and dragged his open mouth down her throat; strong human teeth both pleasure and bite against her skin.

She panicked.

Shoving with all her strength, she scrambled away from those teeth with a gasping breath and landed on the floor of her bedroom. Her hand flew to her throat and she felt unbroken skin; she felt like an idiot. Picking herself slowly off the floor, she headed into her bathroom to shower the day off her skin.

To erase the burn on her lips and tongue.

* * *

She swallowed, fingers tapping against the bed in nervous patterns. Staring up at her ceiling from her mattress, she cursed the day Damon decided she was Klaus-bait. Today hadn't been worth getting out of bed. Steamy dreams aside, she'd have hidden under her blankets if she'd known how _wonderfully_ that meeting would go.

Klaus bait. _God dammit_. Caroline rolled onto her stomach and pulled her pillow over her head. The ball had been bad enough, where she'd smelled the scent of him, had listened to the temptation of his blood and could nearly taste him on her tongue. She tried really hard not to think of that dream kiss. That tiny, _tiny_ curl of smug satisfaction that she - little Caroline Forbes, second best - had affected the big bad hybrid. Even if he was just a fantasy version and not the real thing.

Still, Damon wanted her to _fake date_. Distract. Like knowing what his gaze felt like dragging over the curves they expected her to flaunt would help with her necessary and desperate plan to stop dreaming.

Oh, that'd go over so well.

' _Thanks Damon, but I'm going to have to say no, to the bait thing. Why? Because I've been having erotic dreams about Klaus. And if I do this faux-date thing, I'm afraid I'll throw my panties at him, and even a bajillion year old ass like him will know what that means._ '

She was totally fucked.

Here's what she'd learned about vampires blessed with eternal teenage hormones. They were horny. All the time. There was just no other explanation for the way the monster underneath her skin had latched onto this _idea_ of Klaus. God, she and Tyler had gotten into _such_ a fight; then they'd fucked.

It'd been okay.

Caroline slapped her hand down in pure frustration. Tyler had been enthusiastic, but there had been… something missing. He licked when she wanted teeth, had softened when she craved bruises. She was pretty certain their chemistry hadn't changed, but when they were done, he'd looked at her with such serious eyes.

Asked for a _break_.

A fucking break. He needed space, to figure shit out. It was obvious that she needed one too. Well, it wasn't obvious to her! Tossing to her side, she hugged her pillow and blinked back tears. Second best, again.

God, she just wanted to sleep.

No porn-tastic dreams, no unfulfilled lust. Just a fucking good night's sleep. Just one. Eyes squeezed shut, she willed herself into oblivion. Ignored that one, tiny kernel of frustration.

She opened her eyes and met Klaus' devouring gaze. Caroline froze as she reoriented herself. Naked - she was balanced on the hard lines of a taut abdomen. She swallowed as she took in the way her knees bracketed his ribs, and her hands pressed against warm skin for balance. She tried not to stare at the lean lines of him, the splash of color against his skin. Long fingered hands settled on her waist, thumbs brushing enticingly against her hip bones. Slowly, she peeked at the curling, dimpled smile Klaus was wearing as he looked up at her.

"Hello, sweetheart."

"This is getting ridiculous," Caroline rasped, shifting her weight. His grip tightened, and she glared down at him. " _Seriously_?"

He grinned, dimples deepening as he smoothed one hand up her stomach, to trace patterns across her breast; circled her nipple. "I don't mind."

"Mind?" Caroline repeated, eyes narrowing even as she shivered as he tweaked her nipple. "I'm freaking naked on Klaus Mikaelson's chest. Maybe _I_ mind."

He arched his back, pulled himself up suddenly with an impressive flex of abs; replaced his hand with his mouth, tongue hot and slick against her breast. Her hands scrambled for purchase, one hand fisting in his hair, the other digging into his shoulder. She panted, arched to press closer to his mouth. He kissed a wet path across her breastbone and sucked her neglected nipple into his mouth, pulling lewdly until her hips rolled against the curve of his pelvis.

Glancing up at her through his lashes as he released her breast, Klaus smiled at her. "You're delicious."

"Cheesy," she nearly stuttered, trying to pretend there wasn't a flush working up at her throat as she shifted. Oh god, she was so fucking wet that she could hear herself against his skin. It didn't seem to bother him, in fact his hands kept her close as he leaned back.

"Why the pink cheeks?" His smile was slow and wicked. "Your delectable scent claiming me, all this pretty skin against my fingertips? I want to mark you with bruising kisses."

"That's awfully teenage-boy of you," she countered, trying to slow her frantic pulse. She should know, Tyler having tried to mark her a mere hour earlier. Fantasy or not, some things needed to be nipped in the bud. "I'm not your possession, to be branded. You'd think you'd have figured that out in a thousand years."

"I am what I am, little vampire."

"Yeah, a pain in my ass," Caroline grumped down at him.

"Not yet," Klaus said blithely. "But I'm certainly willing, although pain would be entirely your choice love. There are many ways to make that particular position good for you, sweetheart."

She went scarlet and he ran patterns along her ribs, across her sweat-damp abdomen. "I like this color on your skin. Are you fond of rubies, love? I think I'd like to fuck you with them wrapped around your throat, listen to them bounce against your skin as you scream for me. Diamonds for the day and rubies for night."

Caroline gaped at him a little, trying to figure out how her dream had shifted so far out of her control. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so mortified. Even as a human, she'd managed to avoid the standard naked nightmare. Clearly, karma was a tricky bitch and she was being punished.

"Now you're just being ridiculous," Caroline said in a voice that was almost steady. She'd thrown those jewels he'd given back. Clearly she was going to punish herself a little for that going forward.

"I want to listen to you come, Caroline," Klaus said as his hands trailed up and down her ribs. "I want to taste you on my tongue. Do you understand?"

"You can't just _order_ ," Caroline started, as he braced her thighs on his forearms, hands gripping her ass. He didn't let her finish, pulling her up over his chest. Her hands clung to the headboard as she landed on his face.

"Oh god, _oh god_ ," she gasped out as he sucked and licked, unconcerned as she ground down on the length of his tongue. Head tossing as she clung to her bed frame, she heard wood snap as he lifted her off his mouth by her shaking thighs.

"Yes or no, Caroline?"

"What?" She panted, brain scrambled. He nipped her thigh, gusted breath against her wet skin.

"An orgasm, love. Would you like one?"

"Oh god, yes," Caroline breathed. She bit her lip at the soft, lingering kiss against her inner thigh.

"Good."

She swore her eyes crossed when he lowered her back down, hybrid strength taking her weight easily. There was teasing - flicks of his tongue, lingering strokes everywhere but where she wanted him; until her hips ground in uncoordinated circles. Caroline felt near delirious with need, pleasures ragged spikes in her veins. She registered her profanity, the way she gasped out Klaus' name; the pitch of her voice rising with each deliberate lick.

Then his tongue was hot and broad on her clit.

She came was a scream. Her orgasm was brutal, and she slipped down the headboard boneless. Klaus draped her over his chest with a flex of muscle, and as she shivered back into her skin all she could think was that this dream orgasm was so much better than the one her boyfriend had given her an hour ago.

When her eyes fluttered back open, she was twisted in her sheets; for the first time in weeks her body was pleasurably exhausted. Caroline didn't bother to adjust the bedding, just sank into her mattress with a pleased moan and drifted in the afterglow.

* * *

Caroline dropped her towel and crawled onto her bed. The blinds were shut tight, the house locked down until her mom came home, and she ached with phantom pains. Her hair was still damp, she was completely naked, and cold down to her bones.

Rolling into her blankets until she was cocooned, she squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she'd be fine. This post-torture routine was one she was getting the hang of. Shower. Hide under her covers until she could breathe. Later, she'd make pancakes.

Alaric was desiccated. She'd gotten the text as she sucked down her second blood bag, poised to flee out the back door. Ready to just run.

That'd help. The same way knowing the wolves were dead had helped; her goodbye with her dad. But God, this week has gone so wrong. Alaric had been her friend. Another casualty to this war the Originals raged against everyone around them.

 _You're safe. It's me, you're safe._

How was it that she'd believed him?

The last week has been filled with faux-dates, deliberate distractions and half-lies. Klaus' eyes had laughed at her, proving he knew what she was doing. Yet, he'd gone along. Burned her skin with his gaze, invaded her personal space and beguiled with charming words and sincere smiles. It'd taken strength she didn't know she had not to take those silent invitations - see if she could lick the charm from his smile. To avoid blushing at the knowledge of her in Klaus' gaze.

Okay, she'd been dreaming of him naked, of doing the most amazingly sinful things to her with his mouth, but he didn't know that. She could at least pass off her need to touch, her burning curiosity as a horrible side-effect of dreaming. She didn't know why he was playing with her.

All it had taken was the heat of him at her back, the familiar scent, his low voice at her ear and she'd relaxed. Adrenaline and terror hadn't mattered once she knew who held her. Stupid. _Stupid_ , stupid. How stupid could she be?

Klaus wasn't safe.

Klaus wasn't safe _for her_.

Hadn't Alaric entertained her with his little stories, his taunts as he tortured her? How little she knew about being a vampire? Caroline knew the Originals were dangerous, but sometimes she seemed to be the only one.

Tomorrow she'd deal with the consequences of tonight. Damon had made it clear she was expected at the boardinghouse in the morning. Settling a little more firmly into her covers, for a moment, she nearly wished for a sex dream. Anything would be better than the nightmare she knew was waiting for her behind her lashes.

Somehow in-between the confusion of her erotic subconscious and her faux-dates, Klaus had become less terrifying than being tortured. She wished fervently she knew how.

Instead of the horror of that classroom, Caroline was tucked against a hot male body. She jerked, vampire strength unrestrained as she tried to thrash. But it was Klaus's voice at her ear, his hands in her hair and rubbing her back. She went limp, face pressed against the crook of his neck and shoulder, and very deliberately avoided thinking about how safe it felt.

She wouldn't cry. Regardless of the tears burning behind her eyes, she just breathed steadily against his skin, let the tone of his words work to calm her. Finally, she lifted up and this time he met her gaze. She wasn't expecting what she found behind his eyes.

Concern. A hint of tenderness. And rage. Such _rage_. Her lips parted, breath hitching in her lungs as he reached up to stroke her cheek with possessive fingertips.

"You're safe, Caroline."

She laughed without mirth. His gaze narrowed and he followed her into a sitting position. She found her thighs bracketing his ribs, but there was little that was sexual about the position. His expression was hunting, one she'd learned he wore when he wanted something. She cursed her brain for making these encounters so _realistic_.

"Alaric is hardly the real threat," Caroline muttered, trying to climb off his lap, to get away from those eyes. This was her dream, surely she could will him away?

Klaus caught her chin, held her still as he leaned in to study her face. "Alaric won't touch you."

Something uneasy crawled down her spine. There was a finality to his tone that dream-Klaus shouldn't have in his voice. Dream-Klaus should be going for her lips, not rubbing soothing circles at her pajama clad hip, his other hand softening at her jaw. Her breathing went ragged, muscles locking up in panic.

Something feral crawled through Klaus' gaze, lips curling at the edges. "Hello, sweetheart."

She woke with a scream in her throat, tumbling with the blankets around her legs as she fell off her bed. Staggering to her feet, she raced to her drawers and yanked on the first t-shirt and sweat combination she could find. Stefan. She needed to find Stefan.

Oh God, _oh God_ \- she ignored socks and shoes, scrambled for her phone. Impossible. That had to be impossible. Okay, someone mentioned Klaus had possessed Alaric. But no one had once mentioned sharing dreams.

That was something you _mentioned_. Vampires drink blood to survive, Care. You're strong, you're fast and vervain burns. Oh, and one day, you might _walk in someone's dreams._

She yanked open her front door and froze.

"Caroline."

She slammed the door, staggered back. Hand going to her mouth, she stared at him through the blinds. Klaus arched a brow, head tilting to the side as he smiled at her all slow and _intent_.

"Come now love, is that any way to say hello after I've been so nice?"

Temper threaded through her shock and her eyes narrowed as her hand fell away. "Nice?"

His dimples deepened, eyes scanning down what he could see through the door. "Of course. You seemed distressed."

"I was tortured," Caroline snapped, jabbing at him with a finger. "Thanks for making today so much better, you unbelievable ass!"

His gaze flared yellow, veins crawling into his eyes and her breath caught. "He hasn't begun to suffer, love. I promise you that."

Her mouth ran dry at the palpable fury that rolled off him. She swallowed hard. "You cannot say things like that."

Klaus' head canted, hands sliding into his pockets. There was nothing complacent about his eyes, the threads of yellow kicking her heartbeat into her throat. "You didn't seem to complain when I licked you through an orgasm."

"I didn't realize it was you _you_." Caroline hissed, face flushing scarlet. The door didn't feel like enough of a barrier, not when he was stripping her with his eyes.

"Ah, so you'd have preferred the last few weeks to be your imagination?" Klaus questioned. "How did you explain the dreams to yourself? The way I slowly wound you each encounter, until we were both slick with sweat?"

Arousal tugged at her gut; turned her blood sluggish. She shook her head, lips compressing.

Klaus took a step closer to her door, gave her his most charming smile. "Open the door."

"Like _hell_."

"Now, Caroline," his chided with a shake of his head. His eyes glittered, the pit wide and devouring behind pupils. Her breathing went ragged. "Shall we continue this conversation here, then? Where anyone can overhear as I describe the taste of you on my tongue? How arousing I find your moans, the way you scream my name? How you beg? How I've spent weeks with an aching cock, as you deprived us both?"

She felt too hot. Her skin was too tight, and her fingers curled tightly into her palms as she tried not to react to his words. The way he caressed each sentence, reminding her of all the things she was trying to ignore. Worse, the way her monster crawled under her skin, craved the unspoken promise between them.

"Open the door."

She shook her head.

Klaus shrugged, and smiled; dimples bracketed by sin. "Unfortunately love, I'm not much of a gentleman."

She threw a lamp at his head as he stepped through the doorway. He caught it and arched a brow; Caroline moved to put the couch between them, nerves jumping in alarm. Klaus set the lamp back on the table and locked the door, never taking his eyes from her.

" _Such_ a grumpy lover."

"Don't call me that," Caroline snapped. "I'm not helping you get anything from Elena."

Klaus laughed, yellow eyes vibrant in the low light. "This stopped being about Elena some time ago. Oh _no_ , sweetheart. This is all about you. You and your defiance, your stubbornness, that misplaced loyalty."

She circled the couch, muscles too tight as he prowled after her. He seemed amused, but she knew how quickly that could change. "None of that is an acceptable reason for stalking."

"You've been playing bait for your so-called friends," Klaus countered. "A delicious distraction, but hardly fair play, Caroline.

"That is not the same thing!"

"I'd have been more than willing to indulge you in any of your needs, Caroline," Klaus murmured. "But you were quite determined to keep space between us. Not surprising, considering your aptitude for pulling yourself free of our dreams."

She hesitated, and he paused with her. Licking dry lips, she kept her weight on the balls of her feet. He seemed to enjoy prowling after her, because she knew she couldn't outrun him. "What do you mean I pulled myself free?"

Klaus leaned against the back of the couch and looked at her with such amused possession she nearly rocked back onto her heels. "You can hardly believe I'd have ended the dreams in such, let's call it, _inconsiderate_ places, love."

She backed away when he moved around the couch, shaking her head. His eyes narrowed and between one blink and the next, she found herself pressed against a wall, Klaus nearly pinning her in place with his body. It wasn't terror that threaded through her blood, the stiffness in her shoulders and back threatening to melt as he dragged his fingers down her throat.

"I've tempted you, _oh_ how I've tempted. I've offered the world, I've seduced. And each dream, you lingered a little longer; let me stroke just a bit more. So grumpy, as you unfurl in my arms. And then that kiss."

She shook her head, but he shushed her, smoothing his fingers along her lips. "Oh no love, there is no denying the way you claimed me. Finally took what you wanted, didn't you? If I hadn't spooked you, how much would you have taken? It haunts me, not knowing."

Caroline swallowed hard. Looked stubbornly at anything that wasn't him. Because she was terrified of the answer.

"Caroline."

She slowly looked up at him, met the temptation behind his eyes with her own. The iron in his gaze was tangled with lust and a need that shook her. He leaned in, until their breaths mingled, his hand smoothing up and down her arm.

"You want me," Klaus murmured, pitching his voice low. His other hand moved to cup the back of her neck, fingers threading through her curls. "Don't you, sweetheart?"

Her lips parted, but her denial died as his gaze lowered to trace her mouth.

"Even if I couldn't smell your arousal," he continued, seemingly unconcerned by her lack of verbal response. "Even if I didn't intimately know all your body's little tells; you've shown me in a hundred little ways. The way you refused to play on my obvious affections, the grumpy snarls as you realized my presence in each dream; the way you kissed me."

"You're reading too far into things," she tried, her voice shaky. Klaus made an amused noise and the hand on her arm was suddenly crawling underneath her t-shirt to cup her breast. She breathed sharply through her nose, struggled not to arch into his hand. He smiled, hotly possessive, and thumbed her nipple.

"Am I?" He leaned forward and kissed her chin. "You believed me when I told you that you were safe, Caroline."

She gripped his shirt, head supported heavily by his hand. Klaus kept up his caresses, the motions perfected in her dreams, and she moaned lowly as he tugged her nipple between two fingers. His mouth slid along her jaw, until he lingered against her ear.

"Lie to me, Caroline." She could feel his smile as his hand left her breast, slid down the length of her abdomen in a slow, lingering caress that set her nerves on fire. "Tell me that you aren't wet for me, that you aren't dying to know how good my cock will feel inside you. Deny that you woke desperate for my touch, that when you slid your hands beneath your clothes and released all that heady tension that it wasn't my face you pictured, my tongue you missed. Go on, little love. Lie to me."

The words wouldn't come. She tried to find them, to let them fall from her tongue. Everything under her skin craved what he was promising with his hands, what he continued to offer her with his words and body. The terror she felt in her lungs wasn't for Elena or how badly her friends would take this, but how she craved him. How much she wanted to slant her mouth against his and take and take until she was drowning.

Klaus pulled back, gaze triumphant and feral. Leaning until their mouths were nearly touching, he licked at her parted lips. "Kiss me, Caroline."

Her gazed lowered to his mouth, the perfection of his lips. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that if she started this there was no walking away if she kissed him. Klaus wouldn't let her go; he'd expect her loyalty - expect _her_.

"Sweetheart," Klaus murmured, voice low and rich with temptation. "Kiss me."

She took his mouth as if he was air and she was drowning. Her hands slid up his chest, tangled in his wild curls with a white-knuckled grip. Licked at the velvet sin of his tongue, bit and parried until her head spun. Until lungs that didn't need air burned, and she pulled back with a heave of air. Klaus' eyes had slid shut, and now they slowly opened. His lashes parted to show the burning heat of him, the feral possession and devotion that shook her down to his bones. His lips curled, and the smile he wore as he pressed her into the wall was exhilarating.

He didn't speak, just leaned in to slant his lips against hers. This time, she was the one who melted. Klaus seduced her with his mouth while the hand at her waist stroked down to grip her by the thigh, lifting her easily. She curled her legs around his hips, moaning as he immediately ground against her. Caroline's head tipped back as he released her lips, and this time when he kissed down her throat she shuddered, nails digging into his scalp and neck as he searched for all the places that left her gasping.

"I'm going to take you against this wall," he warned as he licked at her collarbone. "Then we'll move to your room."

She tried to concentrate enough to respond. "A little eager, aren't we?"

Her pants disappeared, panties fluttering around her ankles and he drove two fingers inside her wet passage. Her throat arched, eyes going blank as he rubbed his thumb against her clit. Caroline shuddered, riding his hand blindly. She complained when he pulled his hand free, chin lowering to watch as he sucked his fingers into his mouth. Pulling them free with a lewd noise, he licked his lips.

"Oh, sweetheart. I won't be the only one."

He didn't give her a chance to reply; his head dipped and his mouth closed over one t-shirt clad breast. She tightened her grip on his hips; rubbing uncaringly against his pants at each rough pull of his mouth. The hand in her hair squeezed her nape firmly once, and then dragged over her shoulder, down her ribs before he fumbled with his pants. He switched breasts, and she barely heard his pants slither down his thighs as she whined before his hands gripped her ass. His teeth dragged along her breast and then his cock was pushing through her slick entrance. A flex of his hips, and Caroline struggled for air as he seated himself firmly inside her.

"Feeling eager yet, Caroline?"

She dragged her nails sharply down his scalp, gasping when he ground against her in retaliation. "Move."

To her surprise, Klaus did as she demanded; hips moving in a rhythm that felt so damn _good_. Digging her heels into the back of his thighs, she ground down on each thrust. Caroline clung to his shoulders, nails digging through cotton until she drew blood. Hot, sucking kisses along her collarbones and throat layered sensation, until she teetered on orgasm, body trembling. Klaus ground something out between clenched teeth, and then his hand was insinuated between their slick bodies, rubbing firmly against her clit.

She came with a scream, head dropping against the wall as the world wavered. Klaus' forehead pressed against her chest as he shuddered through his own orgasm, body leaning heavily against hers as they tried to recover. Caroline stared up at her ceiling, blinking slowly as she struggled to orientate herself. Before she could manage, she was hoisted back against Klaus' chest and he was striding unerringly towards her room.

"What?" Caroline gasped as he dropped her onto her messy bedding. Klaus laughed, pulling his shirt over his head.

"Oh, Caroline, you can't believe having you once this evening would satisfy me."

"This evening?" She repeated, eyes widening. Klaus laughed softly, joined her on the bed. He bent and pressed his lips to her ankle, hand skimming up the curve of her calf. Slowly, he nipped and licked his way to her knee before repeating each caress on her other leg.

"Used to teenage boys who are so easily satisfied," he murmured, glancing up from beneath the blonde tips of his lashes. "I won't be content until I've taken everything, Caroline. I want all of you."

Her lips parted, as she stared down at him as he confirmed her earlier concern. Caroline's breath caught in her throat, and she tried to process the truth of him watching her from the cavern behind his eyes. Everything went hot, her body reacting to what it knew he was capable of giving her. Her mind though, it was spinning in circles, trying to rationalize how she was going to handle this. His eyes glittered at her as he bit the outside of her knee, pulling her attention back to him as he moved up her leg.

"Don't worry, little love," Klaus purred, licking up a thigh as she started to pant for air. "I'll take good care of you."

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	13. Veins Run Red and Blue

This was supposed to be a quick little 'what if' thing since I finished my exchange fic. It did not stay little. Thanks willowaus for listening to me complain.

No smut here, but its longer and has a bit of violence. Thanks!

* * *

It was his smile that dug into her bones.

Fighting against his sister's hold, Caroline went still at the curve of Klaus Mikaelson's lips. He watched Tyler die, eyes intent and glittering, but it was his smile that told the monster under her skin this monster was dangerous. Those dimples, that delight as he pulled the marionette strings, it was an expression that had seen more than she could imagine.

And as Tyler gasped awake, a new creature, that smile widened and she shook, just a little.

"You can't beat us," Rebekah told her, nails biting into her arms. "None of you can."

In that moment, Caroline believed her.

* * *

Caroline told Elena to make a deal.

Brown eyes wide, she'd looked stunned before she'd shook her head. "I'm not helping him. I can't believe you'd suggest I should. He's a monster, Caroline."

Him, being Klaus.

Licking chapped lips, Caroline fisted her hands. The inside of her bedroom should've felt safe, instead it was a false barrier. Klaus could parade in and out of her room as he choose - evidence, a spectacular diamond bracelet that terrified her every time she saw it.

It was such a beautiful threat, after all.

"What happens if you don't help him, Elena?"

Elena shrugged and played with the ends of her hair. "Damon has a plan."

Caroline closed her mouth, glanced away from her friend. Damon had a plan. She let Elena change the subject, let her shift the conversation to sillier, less serious topics. All the while, her insides knotted.

Damon was going to get them all killed.

A hundred years plus a few decades, give or take, up against a millennium of experience. An un-killable monster. One who offered the world as if it was a mere plaything - who toyed with people as if they were his own personal marionettes?

Elena would rather trust Caroline's rapist, than bargain with her blood; Caroline knew bargaining with the devil was dangerous. But Klaus would get his doppelgänger made army, regardless of the cost. Caroline didn't understand why he'd chosen to toy with them, but she'd no doubt he'd carve his price from all of them soon enough.

Her hands shook as she locked the door when she was alone.

So what was she going to do?

Caroline jabbed at the ice cubes in her glass, brows bunched together. The grill was quiet tonight. It was a bit of a relief, after the last few days.

Tyler had broken up with her.

"I can't drag you into this."

Caroline blinked at him, as he paced through her living room, hands taking through his hair until it stood in spikes. "Can't drag me into what?"

Tyler spun, eyes wild. "I'm sire bound to him, Caroline. I can't escape him. He's in my head, he's in me veins and I can't…"

"Do you think I don't know that?" Caroline snapped, pushing to her feet. "I was there."

She still woke up in cold sweats, remembering. That smile that said he'd gotten what he wanted and he'd continue on, devouring the world in bits and pieces, never satisfied. Klaus wasn't Damon, to need compulsion and threats to terrify, when his methods were far more malicious.

"Why didn't you tell me about the bracelet?"

She shuddered, at the memory of Klaus's hands on her while they danced. The fascination, as he watched her at the ball; when he showed her his paintings. How Klaus had offered her dreams, as if they were so easily given. As if he'd grant them, should she just ask.

How her monster had crawled through her veins, curious about this nightmare who smiled with perfect teeth and tempting dimples. Blood didn't scare what was beneath her skin. What lived in her chest welcomed death, smiled at the violence and iron that watched her from behind Klaus Mikaelson's eyes.

"I'd no intention of keeping it."

Something wild crawled Tyler's eyes. "What does he intend to keep of you?"

Caroline shivered, arms wrapping around herself. "Tyler…"

They stared at each other.

"You'll do whatever it takes to survive."

She looked away, eyes burning. "Don't ask that of me."

"I'm running, because if I don't I may one day find myself going for your throat. And I can't do that." Tyler whispered.

They both knew she couldn't run with him. Whatever Klaus thought of her, Tyler might have a chance, if she stayed. Tyler was worth that risk. She'd buy him the time she could.

"Promise me you won't come back." Tyler opened his mouth and shut it as her tears spilled over. "Promise me Tyler. We both know he'll use both of us as weapons against each other, and we both know what survival means."

He kissed her, and Caroline sank into this one last feel of him. She let him wipe her face and swallowed hard. Memorized the lines of his face.

"Run."

* * *

Two days later, she was sitting in the grill, letting the jagged thing in her chest bleed. Matt replaced her drink wordlessly, and she knew when Klaus arrived. It was a spark of electricity down her spine, the way the muscles in her neck tightened.

"I'll find him."

Caroline took a sip of her drink, as Klaus settled next to her. Bracing herself, she twisted her head to meet that hostility head on. "I won't help you."

His lips curved, a delighted little grin that worried her. "Ah, love, I don't require your help for hunting. In a thousand years, did either of you think this is the first time something of mine has tried to run? Have you spoken to Katerina lately?"

She shrugged. "I didn't ask for the particulars, and Katherine and I aren't really on speaking terms."

"Tell me, Caroline, what do you expect to happen?" Klaus asked lowly, fingers catching her wrist as she shifted to move away. His touch was light, encircling her bones with such ease. She shivered, at the sight of his skin against hers, the implied threat that had her monster crawling into awareness.

"About what?"

The faintest curve of dimples, as his lashes hooded his gaze. "Come now love, don't play dumb. I've heard the most interesting rumor. That you tried to convince the doppelgänger to make a deal. I'm curious as to why?"

She tugged at his hold then. His fingers tightened, still not painful but a definite warning. Fine. He wanted her opinion?

"I think you're having fun, playing your little games." Caroline told him flatly. "It amuses you, to watch everyone struggle around you, while you bide your time. When you're ready for Elena's blood, you'll take it. And yeah, your probably pissed about Tyler, but only because he's bought himself time, since he was just experimental fodder anyway. So yeah, I told Elena to bargain. If you're going to kill all of us regardless, why give you a reason to make it linger?"

Eyes holding hers, he brought her palm to his mouth and brushed a featherlight kiss across skin she hadn't known was sensitive. Her fingers flexed, and his smile pressed against her palm. His gaze was scorching, as he released his hold.

"Yet, you offer me no bargain." Klaus tilted his head, eyes calculating. "In fact, the only person to take me up on any of my generous offers has been your mother."

Caroline forced herself to stand, to sling her purse over her shoulder and lift her chin. There had been no threat in his tone when he spoke of Liz. "And what do you think I should bargain?"

She didn't waver, as he stared at her. Curiosity drove her, as she held her ground. What did a old world monster want from a baby vampire? She'd already tried to get Elena to give him what he wanted, she'd refused to help him in regards to Tyler. What could he possibly want from her?

His gaze narrowed, something old and dark twisting behind his eyes. "Your loyalty."

She snorted. "Loyalty is earned. And I find it hard to believe you want that from someone who has no intrinsic value in any of your games."

"It's a dangerous game, sweetheart, telling me what to value."

She tossed enough to cover her bill into the counter for Matt and left. She felt his eyes as the door closed behind her, and she swallowed hard. There wasn't anything about him that wasn't dangerous.

If only she could figure out why that drew parts of her as strongly as it repelled her.

* * *

"You seem rather lonely, for a distraction."

Caroline looked up, and scowled at Klaus. He was standing in the doorway, watching her with an expression that left her monster itching under her skin. The open possessiveness, it was something she wished he'd stop. It wasn't as if she looked particularly impressive; cheer t-shirt, sweat pants and her face scrubbed clean, and Klaus still managed to give the impression of want.

Thank God she was wearing a bra.

"Do you talk to forest animals now? That's a bit Disney Princess of you."

He stepped into the living room, shutting the front door behind him. He didn't flip the lock, but the danger was there regardless. She was aware he wasn't leaving unless he chose to, and the casual way he sat across from her left her teeth clenching.

"Hardly, but Damon isn't nearly as clever as he believes."

Caroline could find no fault in his logic. "That's not news. Why are you here? As you can see, I'm busy."

"Do you enjoy baiting me, Caroline?" Klaus questioned even as his posture relaxed, body taking over the love seat. "Pushing, to see how far it'll take me to snap?"

"Hardly," she dismissed, lowering her gaze back to the laptop she was working at. "But I decided if you're going to kill me anyway, might as well be for something I said instead of someone else's idiocy."

"Interesting, that you imagine that my choice of consequences would be death." Her gaze shot back to his, and he smiled slowly, the predator bright in his gaze. "As for why I'm here, Damon seemed insistent that I be distracted tonight. When you failed to show, I thought I'd oblige him and investigate how my favorite baby vampire was fairing."

Stubbornly, she ignored the heat his words caused. Jackass. She just knew he was doing it on purpose, testing her reactions to him. Smile tight, she shrugged.

"As you can see, I picked a fun filled evening of U.S. History instead of being hybrid bait. Education supposedly being the basis for all those important life goals, like supporting yourself."

This smile looked genuine and that shook her. Delight and amusement mingled, to take the edge off of his ever apparent threat. "What are your plans for the future, Caroline?"

"Living."

"Ah," Klaus drawled, tossing one booted ankle over the other. Caroline wondered how he managed to be so deadly and appear so alarming attractive and comfortable all at the same time? Was this something you could practice? How exactly did you let your eyes threaten while the rest of you invited?

"There is a difference, sweetheart, between living and surviving. I certainly cannot fault the effort you've put into the latter, but I'd hardly call this the former."

"Let me guess," Caroline replied, scorn dropping from her tone. "You can show me how?"

His eyes heated, until the edges of his irises turned yellow. Her breath caught in her throat, as he deliberately dragged his gaze along her body. When he returned to her eyes, her hand clenched tightly around her pen as hybrid gold called sharply at her own monster.

"I'd be delighted."

"No thank you."

His gaze was knowing and she narrowed her eyes. Before she could find a way to retort, Klaus tensed, veins crawling into his eyes. She froze, as he growled and lunged to his feet. A moment later, she was alone, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out if her.

What had that been about?

* * *

Caroline made it home because she was stubborn. The world had gone to hell, these last few weeks. Klaus had finally made Hybrids, Elena was a vampire, and a few new werewolves has trickled into town.

Klaus had been in a dangerous mood, since Elena had died. She'd avoided him, the blade of his smile, and stuck closer to home as the weight of his displeasure changed the atmosphere of town. Even her mom had commented, that people had been on edge.

The tension had finally snapped and Caroline was dying. Her hip was burning, a familiar poisonous throb. She was so thirsty, her monster turned her world dangerous. Staggering through her front door, she stared at the body she'd known would be there. Broken, with blood pooled near her head, Caroline silently sank next to her mom.

Hayley had gotten away.

Shaking hands reached for the softness of her mom's hair, and she stroked it so carefully. The sound of the door opening had her head turning, and she wondered if this was a hallucination. But Damon's eyes were only for her mom.

"I told her to leave."

Caroline bared her monster's teeth. "I hope he keeps you alive for years."

Damon laughed at her, blue eyes glittering. "You shouldn't have fought back. If you'd just been good little bait, all of this could have been avoided. But you just had to be a little idiot and now Liz is dead."

"You set us both up to die, don't you blame this on me." Caroline said, hands pressing into the floor as the room started to spin. "Did you think my mother would've forgiven you?"

Damon shrugged and stood. "A pity you're so useless. If you'd actually spread your legs, Klaus might have actually cared enough to save you."

"Have fun, running from Klaus," Caroline whispered as she laid on the floor. "Be sure you ask Katherine how much fun it is."

The hallucinations sounded like her mom. Caroline kept her eyes closed, as the coldness of the floor seeped into the agony of her bones. She tried to block out the whispers, the endless recriminations and pleas to live, until she thought she'd gone mad, when she felt the softest of touches against her cheek.

The scent of fresh blood spurred her monster and her lashes parted just as something wet touched her lips. It was instinctive to dig her fangs into the bleeding wound, to latch on tightly with her shaking hands. It was the most delicious hallucination she'd ever had, and she gripped the wrist harder when it tried to pull away.

"Shhh, sweetheart. I know you're hungry and I promise, you'll get more soon."

Caroline didn't clearly remember what happened after that, the vague recollection of Klaus carrying her mingling with the hot taste of blood. She woke to the memory of Damon screaming and lifted her fingers to her lips. They came back clean, but she could taste those screams, felt his cries in the marrow of her bones.

Her mom was gone.

Catching her lip between her teeth, she blinked past the sudden film of her eyes. Pausing, surprise clogging the tears in throat, she stared at the room with its delicate wrought iron windows and gorgeous decorations.

"What…"

"The house won't be ready for more days."

Twisting, she found Klaus watching her from a doorway. She just looked at him, for several long moments and he seemed to not mind, returning her perusal. Licking dry lips, she finally broke the silence.

"Where are we?"

"New Orleans," Klaus said easily as he walked into the room, moving towards a window to throw open the drapes. "You slept through the rather short plane ride."

"New…" She hardly hesitated to join him at the window, uncaring that she was dressed only a shirt that hit mid thigh. She stared out the window with wide eyes, fingertips lightly touching the iron on the windows. Her eyes went back to his face, and she froze at the way he was watching her. The pit behind his eyes devouring.

"Why didn't you let me die?"

He arched a brow. "Here I thought you wanted to live?"

"That's not quite the same thing as giving me blood, and bringing me here." She countered, swallowing harshly when his hand cupped her jaw, thumb brushing across her lips.

"I considered it. Finding you streaked with the blood of my hybrids, the corpse of your mother next to you." He leaned close, until their noses nearly touched. "But I'm not done with you, Caroline Forbes, and I don't believe you're finished with me."

She struggled to pull in her next breath. "Did I hallucinate Damon?"

His smile nearly brushed against her skin, and a shudder rolled down her spine. It was his marionette smile, the hunting blade that promised endless horrors. The smile he'd given Tyler, when he's created a hybrid in his image.

"Damon is a guest; how did his screams taste on your tongue? You're monster seemed to enjoy them, from the way you tore open his throat and drank deep." Another slow brush of his thumb, and arousal sang through her veins. "If you can't recall the exact flavor, sweetheart, I'd be delighted to let you have another taste."

She felt her eyes darken, veins crawling as her monster stirred. His gaze drank in vampire face, lust turning his eyes potent. The scent of his arousal was heady.

"Why New Orleans?" Her whisper was throatier than she'd intended, and his fingers stroked along her throat.

"It appears that a certain wolf ran here, hoping to find refuge," Klaus said lowly, tracing her collarbones. "I've a few old friends, who seem to have a bit of a witch problem on their hands. I'm curious, to see how they are related. I thought you'd like to join me, on this particular hunt."

Hayley. The truth of her death was in the yellow flecks of Klaus' eyes. He wasn't offering her bargain, but an opportunity. Lips just curving at the edges, she leaned slightly into his caress.

"Yes."

"Excellent," he murmured, gaze refocusing on her lips. "The things I'll show you, love."

She believed him.

* * *

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	14. Don't Let the Lights Go Down

kc + "I THOUGHT YOU'VE BEEN DEAD. FOR TEN YEARS. WHY ARE YOU ON MY FRONT DOORSTEP. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN. WHY ARE YOU MAKING ME CRY LIKE THIS I HATE THAT I LOVE YOU AND WHY DID YOU EVEN LEAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE *angry sex ensues*" au

 **This has a bit of angst.** But it also makes up for the lack of porn in the last story.

* * *

New York City was a city to get lost in.

A week ago, Caroline would have beamed at the idea of Times Square during Christmas, of hot chocolate and ice skates. She'd have pulled a face at the swelter of the subway and the bite of the wind, the insanity of the taxi drivers. Orphaned and widowed before twenty-five, Caroline had learned how to take care of herself and she'd learned how to live.

Then yesterday, her entire world had unraveled.

New Orleans seemed like such a lovely way to escape the frigid New York winter. The idea of a few warm days had been a blessing. She'd gotten a few recommendations from a friend, and headed out with a smile. It wasn't the Caribbean, but next year.

"This place better be good, Enzo. I'm starving."

"Your love of bar food never ceases to amaze me, gorgeous." A laughter and something clanging on a stove-top. "Your hunt for the best mac n cheese is only outdone by your love of fries."

"Don't start with me. I deserve the calories. This conference might be brilliant for networking, but there is only so much talk about entrepreneurship and color schemes before even I want to stab my eyes out."

"No need for violence. I promise, their grilled oysters are to die for and they even have fries. Marcel is an old friend, he'll take care of you. Introduce yourself. I've got it on good authority that he's handsome, and he's a mostly decent bloke."

Looking up at the sign, Caroline sighed in relief as she dodged tipsy tourists and stepped inside. "I'm here. And seriously? I don't date where I eat, you know this. Bye, Enzo."

Pushing aside old memories, the lingering bitter-sweetness of dimples smiles, she shoved her phone into her purse with a grin. God, she was ready for food. Looking up, her gaze locked onto the poleaxed face of her dead husband staring at her.

She couldn't breathe.

Shock turned her bones to ice, locking her legs into place as her face drained of all color. He'd set his drink down with a thud, straightening to move towards her, eyes blazing with emotions she couldn't read, and panic welled in her chest. A man she didn't recognize clasped the ghost's shoulder, calling his name with a laugh, breaking their gazes and Caroline bolted. It wasn't until she'd slid into a cab, gasping her hotel address that the tears had welled. She forced them back, trembling so hard her teeth started to chatter.

He'd called the ghost Klaus.

Niklaus Mikaelson, third son of Esther and Mikael Mikaelson. 1987 - 2015. Beloved son and husband.

Caroline knew the lines of his gravestone by heart. It's been nothing but cold comfort, thinking of him. The grave was empty, his body having never been recovered. She'd never, ever forget the shock of his mother's appearance, so soon after the shocking loss of her own mother. Esther Mikaelson had been the culmination of weeks of unanswered voicemails, those wretched three final weeks of Liz' Forbes life. The utterly cool regard as she broke down for Caroline the facts of Klaus' death.

"We would have contacted you earlier, when his plane went down, but we were unaware of your existence until recently. Niklaus was entitled to a share of his father's money. Unfortunately, he didn't change his beneficiary, so the pension from his military service will be lost to you. But we as a family recognize that although the marriage was new, that you were married. Where shall I have the money transferred?"

Those icy, clipped tones, the cool regard had sank through her broken daze. The only time Caroline had ever regretted throwing Esther Mikaelson out of her house was when she'd been forced to sell her childhood home to pay for the funeral costs and medical bills.

Even then, the regret was small.

Caroline moved on autopilot, grabbing her bags and leaving the hotel within a half hour. She'd no clear memory of buying a ticket or of the plane ride home. The world finally rushed back into reality as she stepped into her apartment. Shutting the door behind her, Caroline staggered into her bedroom and fell onto her bed, finally giving into the tears that had sat behind her eyes for hours.

If Klaus wasn't dead…

…it meant he'd abandoned her.

* * *

"Drink that."

Klaus looked up from his laptop. He glanced at Marcel and then the shot of bourbon with a snort. "Sorry, mate, I'm not in the mood."

"Your dead wife just showed up and then bolted like you were a demon from the depths of hell. I feel like this is the sort of occasion that allows a man to drink."

Klaus' shoulders went rigid, jaw clenching so tightly Marcel could hear teeth grinding. Exhaustion mingled with temper on his face, and Marcel nearly pitied those who'd involved themselves his friend's life. Klaus was known for holding a grudge and a willingness to exact revenge. It was how they'd originally became friends, years earlier. The easily annoyed, star MI6 agent who'd become disillusioned with the government and a young, reckless bartender spending a stint in London.

"You're sure it was her, then?"

Caroline Forbes-Mikaelson, the love of Klaus Mikaelson's life. Her death had shattered him in a way none of his injuries had managed, and Marcel had seen the agonizing physical therapy sessions required so Klaus could learn walk again.

"Some faces you don't forget."

Marcel grimaced at the flatness of Klaus' tone. Klaus was dangerous, but he was usually exceptionally calculated with that danger. "You knew her for what, a week? Then you married her? Are we sure she wasn't involved?"

There had been no proof that foul play had been part of the wreck that had killed too many of their friends. Klaus never spoke about what happened in the air, but something had driven him all these years.

Klaus shook his head, hitting a few keys. Turning the screen, Marcel glanced at the documents that had been pulled up. Tax filings for the past ten years, an assortment of documents that had little meaning to him, bank statements, but it was the death certificate that caught his eye. It was dated nearly three weeks after Klaus' plane had gone down.

"Her mom?"

Klaus downed the shot. "They were close."

"Was she sick?"

Something deadly crawled through Klaus' eyes and adrenaline flooded Marcel's system. "Cancer. As far as I know, Caroline had no idea when we married. I've dug through her bank records and unless she's better at hiding money than I am at finding it, she spent five years clawing her way out of debt."

"Then why didn't she…" He paused at the rage that suddenly became nearly palpable. Klaus turned and hit a few more keys.

"It took me a bit of digging, but look who visited Virginia shortly after Caroline buried her mother." The loathing in his voice was self-directed, and Klaus raked a hand through his hair with a frustrated noise. "I never looked into her death. Not once."

Marcel looked at the credit card statement and cursed. "What are you going to do?"

"I need a favor. And then I'm going to New York."

* * *

 _Caroline looked up from her menu at the tired, clipped tones of a British accent. Richmond didn't in her experience get a lot of those. Her stomach flipped at the rugged, scruffy jaw and messy curls. It was between the happy hour rush and post-dinner drinks, and if she was on the prowl, she'd have already introduced herself._

 _But it's been a long day after a long week, and she just wanted to drink her calories and indulge her taste buds after a weeks of Kane smoothies and salads. This bar was on her list for a number of reasons, the first being their wild drink menu and second, their small, but delicious menu._

" _Tell me, love, suggestions?"_

 _She side-eyed him, the familiarity of his words, but found a tired set of eyes watching her. There was interest there, but it wasn't blatant, and nothing about him screamed creeper. Arching a brow, she flicked her gaze along his travel wrinkled clothes and gave him the barest of smiles._

" _Blue cheese sliders and fries."_

 _A groan, and a regular she knew by face set his menu down with a scowl. "Dammit, Forbes, I'd just talked myself into the damn tots."_

" _I can't help your poor taste," she said serenely as her dinner was set in front her. Picking up a fork, she lowered her voice for the stranger. "Don't go near the pimento cheese. It's terrible."_

 _A pair of faint dimples tugged at his lips, and real interest sparked in his gaze. "Thank you."_

Caroline woke with a start.

She hadn't dreamed of Klaus in years, born from stubborn therapy and sheer exhaustion. She wished she hadn't started again. Her chest hurt, and her eyes felt gritty. Staggering into her bathroom, she showered on auto pilot, towel drying her hair before looking at herself in the mirror.

She'd lost the baby fat from her early twenties, her features sharper and a little more worn. Her hair had darkened a shade. Her eyes slid shut, and Caroline took a shuddering breath.

He'd looked amazing.

She'd need to ring Kat, call in one of those favors she was owed. Surely he wouldn't be entitled to anything of hers, after all these years. Klaus had looked good, but she couldn't recall what he'd been wearing. Wiping a hand down her face, she took a deeper, slower breath and pushed the burning in her chest to the side.

Oh God, she was still _married_.

"Get it together, Forbes," she whispered fiercely. She'd worry about the particulars and possibly getting completely drunk before noon later. Squaring her shoulders, she dug around for sweats and her fingers found her most prized possession. Staring at the threadbare t-shirt - her only memento besides her ring of a wedding and that deliriously happy week before he was gone - she slammed the drawer shut. Her hands grabbed the first top she could find, an old college hoodie she'd stolen from Enzo, and she headed to the kitchen.

Klaus didn't break her when he died.

He didn't get to break her because he was alive.

Digging into her bowl of cereal, she chewed determinedly and worked on her mental list. Kat was going to be her first call. Then probably Enzo - his stint with the military had been hush hush, but he had interesting friends. If anyone could dig into the Mikaelson family, he'd know who to start with. She wasn't above blackmail right now.

Remembering the cold disdain from Esther, rage filled the hole in her chest. That bitch had sat in her mother's house, days after she'd buried Liz, and lied to her. Caroline had never contacted the family, had done nothing more than set aside an empty grave for the man who'd swept her off her feet.

 _Oh_ , that was going to _change_. That ass had a headstone next to her mom. It'd be worth the gossip to make the phone calls to get that removed.

Dropping her half-eaten breakfast in the sink, she headed for her phone. Screw quietly arranging for a divorce. _They'd lied to her_. Suing for fraud was a legitimate strategy, right?

A series of knocks on her front door had her sighing. No one had asked to be buzzed up. Another, more instant knock and she huffed, setting her phone down and padding to her collection of spare keys. Her neighbor was eighty if she was a day and was usually sharp as a tact but even so rarely managed to keep track of her keys.

Caroline kept the spares. Usually, she didn't mind, but listening to Mrs. Goldstein discuss the finer points of banana bread when she needed answers would drive her insane. Pasting a smile onto her face, Caroline swung the door open and froze.

Wild curls and tired blue eyes that were as determined as she'd ever see them, Klaus Mikaelson stood on her doorstep. Ten years had added lines to the corners of his eyes, and creases to his forehead, but he was so unbearably gorgeous she could hardly breathe.

"Hello, Caroline." Klaus said quietly, eyes moving across her face. "Can I come in?"

* * *

" _Stay."_

 _Caroline glanced over her shoulder, where she was searching for her panties. To her surprise, Klaus' gaze was on her face instead of her bare ass in the low light. Dawn was creeping it's fingers across the horizon and she'd never been more torn between thankfulness and frustration at her internal clock._

 _Somehow a discussion about bar fries had turned into a drink, had become staggering through the parking lot with his mouth on hers. And boy, could this man kiss. The curling sin of his lips had more than matched the slick seduction of his tongue and she'd hardly protested finding herself in his hotel, ruining the sheets._

 _Caroline wasn't the type to stay over, but Klaus had devoured her with such finesse that when he'd tugged her against his shoulder with a sigh, she'd gone. Sleep had been her last intention, but she'd woken half buried under a lean, muscled body that smelled like aftershave and the lingering scent of sex._

 _It wasn't embarrassment that'd sent her scurrying for her underwear, but a strange sort of desperation. Caroline had had her fair share of lovers, but Klaus…_

 _It was like standing on the edge of a precipice, and she didn't know if the fall would kill her._

" _Caroline."_

 _She flicked her gaze back to his, and found eyes full of affection watching her. But his smile, his smile was sin and promise, and her stomach clenched. He sat up, a flex of muscle that had her tongue snaking out to wet her lips._

"Stay."

 _She dropped her clothes back to the floor._

* * *

Klaus was in her kitchen and Caroline felt naked.

Arms crossed, she stared at him. He looked back, not even bothering to hide the way he watched her. It was as if he could see beneath her skin, read her secrets with a glance. She was starting to regret the little voice in her head that had pointed out that this was a conversation to have behind closed doors. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Caroline arched a brow.

"Well, you look surprisingly healthy for a dead man."

Klaus leaned against her counter, braced against his forearms. "I wasn't dead, Caroline."

She shrugged. "So it seems."

He said nothing else, something she couldn't read in his eyes and she wasn't comfortable in the silence. Not when she couldn't figure out the tangled knot of her emotions. Not when every part of her just wanted to feel him beneath her fingertips and palms, to prove he was real.

Licking dry lips, she narrowed her gaze. "Look, why exactly are you here? I think ten years is quite long enough to send a message, don't you? Just leave me the name of your attorney and I'll have mine reach out."

A lightning behind his eyes, the faintest curve of his lips. "I forgot you did that."

"What?"

Klaus straightened, stepped around her counter to move closer. Her shoulders went rigid, hands dropping into clenched fists at her side. "Ramble, when you're nervous. I dreamed of your skin, your smile, your laugh. But I only had a week with you, and I'd started to forget some of the details. The exact shade of your eyes, the slope of your nose; the number of freckles. I spent hours holding a brush and it was never right."

Caroline blinked past a sudden film in her eyes, shook her head before he could close the final gap between them. "You were _dead_."

"I was in a medically induced coma," Klaus said, voice rough. "My plane crashed, but I wasn't dead."

She shook her head, fingers coming up to press against her lips. "No, that's not what I was told. I _remember_."

His hands flexed, as if he was restraining himself. "I had to relearn to walk, sweetheart. And the first thing I did when I was steady was to visit the grave my mother had buried you in. And I made the same agonizing trek annually for the last ten years, with a handful of sunflowers."

Caroline couldn't breathe. The starkness of his words, the iron and pain in his eyes were too real for her to believe they were faked. She blinked, as her kitchen blurred, and tears splashed against her hand. "I was alone when my mom died. I called and called, and then your voicemail was full; then your phone was just… disconnected. And then your _mom_ …"

Slowly, fingers shaking, Klaus touched her cheek, brushing hair away from her damp cheek. "Oh sweetheart, I didn't _know_."

The knot in her chest broke open and Caroline brought both hands to cover her face. A soft, bitten off expletive and then the arms she'd have sold her soul for ten years ago were wrapped around her. A moment later, Klaus simply picked her up and carried her to her living room. Sinking into the couch, he pulled her tightly against him and just held her while she sobbed.

* * *

 _Caroline stirred the bowl of cookie dough she was making from scratch, jamming the wooden spoon with far more force than necessary into the unsuspecting mix. Her hand finally spasmed, and she released her white knuckles grip with a curse._

 _She'd already washed her sheets, cleaned the towels and scrubbed the bathroom. With nothing else to clean, she'd rooted around in her pantry and fridge to dig out the makings of her grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe, stolen faithfully from the nestle chocolate chip bag._

 _Klaus had left that morning._

 _Running a hand down her face, she wondered how she'd let herself fall for a man inside of a week. Then she'd all but shoved him out the door when he'd asked her to come back with him._

"You'd like London," he cajoled, lips curved in a smile. "Come with me."

 _Three days, and she was a mess._

 _She glanced at the number he'd scrawled on the notebook on her fridge sometime before their fight; beneath a quick sketch of a horse meant to make her smile. She might have had sex (repeatedly had sex, actually) with Klaus, invited him into her home for his last night - that scolding from her mom was going to ring in her ears for weeks…_

 _But…_

 _Caroline wanted him here._

 _Taking up her space, staring at her assortments of coffee and her tequila collection with bemused eyes. Standing in her shower, all lean muscles and flattened curls. And wasn't that the most ridiculous thing she'd ever thought?_

 _Three days, Caroline._

 _A abrupt, rapid knock startled her. Cursing, she slapped down her spoon and shoved the wisps of curls that had escaped her messy bun. Wiping her hands, she unlocked the door with an annoyed growl. "Yeah, yeah, I'm…"_

 _Her words died at the sight of Klaus. The suit was so unexpected, her words dried in her throat. He looked gorgeously polished, and she was a mess. Blinking, Caroline felt her brows wrinkle in confusion._

" _I thought you had a plane to catch?"_

 _Determined blue eyes held hers. "I missed it."_

" _I can see that."_

 _He reached forward and brushed his thumb across her cheek. It came away white with flour and she felt her cheeks heat. "I was waiting for my group to be called, seething from your very well put dismissals, and I asked myself what I was doing."_

 _Caroline lifted her chin stubbornly. "Going home, if I recall."_

" _Marry me."_

 _Her hand went white knuckled on the doorknob, air suddenly difficult to pull into her lungs. When she spoke, it was on a squeak. "What?"_

" _Marry me," Klaus repeated, iron and amusement in his eyes. "Getting on that plane would have been the stupidest decision of my life, and I take a certain amount of pride in not being a complete idiot. You've wrecked my life in three days, Caroline Forbes. I want to see what you can do with a lifetime. Marry me."_

 _Her mouth opened and closed, and he waited with determined patience as she gathered her wits. "You can't possible know after three days that…"_

 _Her words died again, as he cupped her jaw. "I can. I do. Take a chance, Caroline. Say yes."_

 _She stared at him, blinking away the sudden film over her eyes. Take a chance. "If you break my heart, I'll smother you."_

 _His smile was slow and brilliant, dimples framing his smile. "I'd expect nothing else."_

 _Her teeth dug into her lip, biting down on the smile that she couldn't quite contain. Mischief flickered across his face and he bent, hoisting her over her shoulder. "Klaus!"_

" _Celebratory sex," he said cheerfully as he slammed the door shut and headed to the bedroom. "Then we'll buy you a ring. How long will it take your mother to join us?"_

 _She landed on the bed with a soft thump, tried not to laugh at the way he stripped out of his suit jacket. "Now? You want to get married now?"_

 _Klaus paused, and caught her eyes. "I've a few days' extension, and then I've got one more job to finish. When that's done, I want to come home to my wife. Although love, we might need a place with a bigger closet. You don't seem the type to share."_

 _She kissed him. Didn't care that the oven was still on, her cookie dough left on the counter. He'd come back for her._

Take a chance.

 _She planned to._

* * *

Caroline had cried herself out, finally simply hiccupping instead of sobbing. She felt congested and her eyes burned, but Klaus' hands were on her back and tangled in her hair. He shifted beneath her, body tensing as if to rise. She fisted her hand in his shirt, refusing to lift her head from his shoulder.

"Stay."

The tense line of his muscles relaxed, and Caroline eased her grip. Sitting up slightly, she used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe her face. Taking a careful breath, she studied his tired eyes. His lashes were damp, a sure sign she wasn't the only one rocked by this, and that more than anything eased the fury that threaded through the wild knot of emotions in her chest.

"I don't understand why."

A sigh, and his head tilted back for a moment before he returned his gaze to hers. "I've a few theories, and they're being explored by people I trust. But I think we can both agree that my mother was behind the misunderstanding around my death."

Caroline snorted. " _Our_ deaths - she lied to my face, Klaus. And I want to know why."

"Do you remember why I left so soon after our wedding?"

She rolled her eyes, letting her eyes narrow. "If you don't think that that week hasn't haunted me, then I want a divorce."

A flicker of amusement, the faintest twitch of dimples. "I'm my mother's illegitimate son, bit of a dirty secret if you will."

Caroline's brows furrowed. "I don't understand."

"Neither did I. When Mikael died, my step-father as it were, none of us missed him. He was a tyrant. I went into the service when I turned eighteen to get away from him, and I was recruited to a particular branch fairly early."

She tapped his chest, exasperation bleeding into her voice. "I know this. You were getting out when we met."

"The week I married you, my biological father died, naming me as his sole heir." Casually, he reached for a curl and twisted it around his finger. "Four days later, the plane I was in had crashed. Whether or not that is a coincidence, I've no answer. I know that when I woke in that military hospital, my first thoughts were of you. And my mother told me with such a soft voice that you'd been killed in an automobile accident shortly after you'd been told of my presumed death. That she blamed herself."

Rage was a coal in her chest, burning as she compressed her lips as she tried to understand all the possible nuances. Regardless of the why's or the how's, Esther Mikaelson had set them both up. Had played them both when they were the most vulnerable, had ensured that neither of them were emotionally capable of digging just a little deeper.

Oh, Caroline was going to have words, when she saw that woman again.

But more importantly, Klaus had told her he'd been hurt. He'd had to learn to walk again. And she hadn't been there. The need to touch was compounded by a gut deep urgency to see what scars still remained. Her hands tugged at his shirt. "Off."

"Caroline…"

She met his wary gaze with her stubborn one, tugged again. "Off. I need to see. _Please_."

Klaus' eyes went dark, pupils wide as he stripped the long sleeved shirt from his body. Her breath caught in her throat as she took the solid lines of his abdomen. He'd filled out a little over the years, still lean, but the thinness of his late twenties had changed. Glancing under her lashes to read his face, delicate fingertips ran over scars that were new.

His skin shivered against the pads of her fingertips, and she let her palms relax, to let them drag against his abs. Her lips curled upwards, and with another glance, she brushed one flat nipple. Klaus' head tilted back, baring the column of his throat, and she shivered at his moan.

"Sweetheart, I've only so much patience, and you sitting so close to my cock has expended most of it." Those slitted eyes caught and held her gaze. "I've survived and been tortured by memories of our one week together."

Dipping her head, she held his gaze.

"I kept my ring." His abs went rock hard beneath her palms, but she held his gaze. "I still have that stupid shirt you left behind so I could remember your cologne. I still sometimes sleep in it, when I don't want to admit I miss you."

He licked his lips, voice rough. "I didn't even have a picture of you."

She swallowed. "I got the pictures developed the day my mom told me she was dying. I think they're still in a box. I couldn't bring myself to throw them away."

When Klaus spoke, his voice was low and rough. "What now?"

Caroline pressed her palms firmly against his hot skin, considered his beloved face. He'd come for her, twice. Her husband. "I need your hands on me, Klaus. I'm not over us, and I don't think you are either. But I'm pretty sure I want to punch your mother in the face."

His abs flexed under her as he sat up, mouth meeting hers. Desperate and devouring kisses, the sleek stroke of his tongue. When he lifted his head, Klaus cupped her face. "Caroline, I knew you were the one after we spent twenty minutes debating the merits of chips vs fries."

She laughed and tangled her fingers greedily in his hair. "I was looking for good bar food, in New Orleans. A friend recommended the place. Completely stupid, that we'd run into each other again, in a bar."

Hot, sucking kisses along her jaw, the line of her throat. Caroline moaned, rocking her hips into his. Her nails scraped down the nape of his neck and Klaus shuddered.

His hands slid beneath the oversized sweater, and Klaus made a low, needy sound as he realized she'd forgone her bra, the roughness of his palms hot on her bare breasts. "Caroline, sweetheart, I need you spread out and naked. As lovely as this couch is - quite an upgrade from the disaster of your last - my plans require a bed."

She opened hazy eyes and tugged on his forearms, and he stopped toying with her nipples with a sigh. Standing, Caroline laced her fingers with his and tugged. Her steps were quick, urgency a relentless throb in her veins, but Klaus was a steady presence at her spine. She'd left the blinds open, so that rare winter sunshine poured in and when she went to close them, he tugged her around.

"Let me see you."

Her tongue snaked out, and she lifted her chin. "I'm not twenty-three anymore."

His smile was heated, and he tugged at her hem. She let the sweater fall away, shivering at the coolness of the air. Her nipples tightened at the appreciative noise he made, hands immediately returning to her chest. "Look at you, you're beautiful, Caroline. And your body wrecks me - it always has."

She stared at him, before pressing tightly against his chest. The heat of his skin felt amazing against her nipples, and she rubbed against his chest with a sigh. Klaus' fingers delved through her hair, tilting her chin to take her mouth again.

He kissed her, like her mouth was heaven and he was a dying man. She followed the the nudging of his body, until her knees hit the mattress and she sat abruptly. Klaus gripped her thighs, and hoisted her back a few inches, so that she could lay back comfortably.

"What if I want to touch you?"

Klaus pressed one hand into the mattress, his free hand cupping her breast. "Later, you can touch me however you want. But I need you, under my hands and against my mouth. Let me."

Caroline flung her arms over her head and arched her spine. "Then more touching, less talking."

His thumb brushed across her nipple, before he kissed a line down her sternum; running his scruff along the softness of her abdomen before kissing a line along the waistband of her sweats. A scorching, heated glance from beneath his lashes and Klaus tugged the sweats down her thighs.

And paused, breath exhaling across bare skin.

"I've grown less fond of underwear, as I've gotten older."

"Lucky me," Klaus breathed.

His thumbs traced along the creases of her hips and thighs, and she shuddered. Softly, touch reverent, he skimmed along her thighs in dizzying patterns. Slowly, Klaus finished removing her sweats, tracing the long line of her legs.

"I love your legs," Klaus murmured, chasing her shivers as he explored the lean muscle and soft skin. "I watched you walk into the pub the night I met you, and I thought of all the filthy things I wanted to do with them."

"You never told me that."

A quick grin, and he sank to his knees, slowly pulling one leg over his shoulder, kissing her knee and biting lightly, until her heel flexed into his back. Then, just as slowly, he shifted her other knee, until her hips were lifted just slightly off the mattress.

"Why tell, love, when you can _do_?"

His fingers parted her damp folds, and Caroline gripped the bedding in her hands. Lip caught tightly between her teeth, she moaned at the first velvet stroke of his tongue. Shifted restlessly, as he teased her everywhere, but where she wanted his mouth the most. Squirming, she tried to grind against mouth, but he anchored her hip with one hand and she cursed.

"Did you forget your way around lady parts? I remember you being _much_ better at…" her words turned inarticulate as he sucked her clit into his mouth, stroking roughly with his tongue. Head tossing, she brought one hand up to fist in his curls, the other shifting to clumsily palm one breast.

His mouth left her, his breath a hot, shaky exhale against her skin. "Don't stop."

Gaze focusing on his - blown pupils turning his gaze midnight, the lust on his face - she released his hair to palm both of her breasts, remembering his fascination. A low, greedy noise and his tongue lashed against her in all the best ways as her orgasm built. Heels digging into his back, thighs clenching down tightly on his shoulders, she came with a low wail.

" _Again_."

Her eyes snapped open, shoulders coming off the bed as she tried to look at him, but he'd already lowered his head back to her clit. "Klaus, I _can't_ …"

His tongue delved between her folds, sliding in and out of a mimicry of what she wanted, until her thighs began to tighten on his shoulders, and with one last taste, he returned to her clit. Soft, delicate circles until she pulled at his hair. A pleading string of words, and then Caroline came with a scream.

"All right," Caroline said hoarsely, as she slowly caught her breath. "I take it back. You're still amazing."

A puff of laugh, as the sound of his jeans hitting the floor had her lashes parting. Arousal curled in her stomach at the sight of Klaus completely naked, teeth catching her lip.

He crawled up her body, kissing her roughly, the taste of her arousal on his tongue. She curled her legs around his hips, rubbing against his length with a pleasure filled sigh.

"Condom?"

She licked at the tightly clenched muscles of his jaw, biting lightly. "IUD. Inside me, Klaus."

He cupped her ass and pressed inside her slowly. Impatient, she tightened her legs and used her heels to pull him closer. He cursed, the clipped tones of his accent rough.

"Now, _move_."

His teeth nipped strongly at her shoulder, and she jolted at the unexpected sting. He licked at the bite, hips starting a slow series of thrusts. He kept his pace, until her nails raked his back, voice a desperate sob in his ear.

"Please, please, _please_."

Klaus ground her name out between his teeth, one hand slipping down to circle her clit and she came with a shout. A few rough, desperate thrusts and he joined her, his orgasm sticky between her thighs.

"I can't move," she mumbled as he finally shifted off her. A hot, wet kiss against at her jaw and Klaus tugged her against him. Heavy lashes slid closed, and he dug his fingers into the hair at her nape.

"Then don't."

* * *

" _I must say, Mrs. Mikaelson, that wet is a good look for you."_

 _Caroline pushed her bangs away from her eyes and mock glared at him. His cheeky tone and wanting eyes had amusement and arousal bubbling through her veins. Six hours ago, he'd slipped a simple gold band on her ring finger, and she regretted nothing about it. They'd had lunch with her mom, spoken via phone with her disapproving dad and gotten tipsy on champagne before coming home and ruining a set of her sheets._

 _Post-nap shower, and Klaus looked like he could swallow her whole._

" _That line was terrible."_

 _Klaus reached for her breasts and she swatted his hands away. He arched a brow, amusement curving his lips even as his eyes narrowed._

" _You had your turn," Caroline said firmly._

 _His smile widened, dimples cutting deep as the warm water washed over them. "I did. And I'm very interested in dessert."_

 _Eyes rolling, she stepped into his body, brushing his chest teasingly with the tips of her breasts. His hands went to her hips, lips parting just as her hands curled around the stiff length of his erection. Sinking to her knees, she tossed her hair._

" _That's just too bad, as it's my turn."_

 _Her name came out a groan as she flicked her tongue over the tip of his head, sucking lightly as her hands ran along the length of him. He cursed, hands tangling in her hair, the faint bite on her scalp causing her to moan as she took more of his length. The hot beads of water created a second wave of sensation, and the steady noises from Klaus as he shuddered beneath mouth her left her very wet._

 _His head fell back with a shout as she swallowed around him. Pulling back to admire the picture he made as he panted above her._

" _Do you want to come, Klaus?"_

 _Those gorgeous eyes opened to stare incredulously down at her and she licked her lips deliberately. "In my mouth? Or maybe all over my breasts?"_

 _He clenched his jaw. "Caroline."_

 _She sucked him back between her lips and moved one hand to cup his balls. His thighs trembled, hips moving in sporadic thrusts as he tried to restrain himself. When he cursed, her name a ragged warning, Caroline pulled back so that he spilled down her chest._

 _Gasping, eyes wide, Klaus pulled her up into his wild kiss. She moaned as he palmed one sticky breast, his other hand sliding to her wet pussy. He sank two fingers inside her easily, thumb working her clit until she clung to him, body shaking through her own orgasm. They sank to the floor, water going tepid around them._

" _I vote we always share showers."_

 _Caroline snorted into his skin. "Maybe on weekends."_

" _With an option for negotiation."_

" _I'll consider it."_

* * *

Caroline woke to the sound of a cell beeping. Grunting, she pressed a little firmer into her pillow and savored the warmth at her side. A long fingered hand brushed through her hair, and reluctantly, she cracked open one eye. The room was dimmer, afternoon sunshine moving into late evening, and she glanced at Klaus.

"Hi."

"Hello, sweetheart," an adoring smile curved his lips, fingers tugging on one ruined curl. "Learned to share the bed? I remember you being a bit more of a space hog."

Caroline snorted and stretched, sighing at the delicious burn of muscles that had gone through quite a dry spell. "It's a bigger bed."

Something flickered through his eyes, and she rolled on her side, not bothering to cover her breasts. "Reality sinking in?"

A sigh, and he looked away. "I'm finding myself jealous of those who came after me. I was hardly celibate, and I don't expect you to have been, but there it is."

"There weren't many," Caroline told him honestly. "I built a business. I didn't have time. I was serious about one, but in the end I said no."

His eyes dark with emotion, Klaus looked at her. "Why?"

"The same reason all the rest of my relationships failed. They weren't you." Caroline bit her lip, fidgeted with the edge of the sheet. "My therapist had a lot of things to say about it, but I could never completely let you go."

Klaus touched her chin. "I drank a lot. Tried to burn you out from under my skin. My brother Elijah finally dried my ungrateful arse out, pointed out some painful facts. I won't lie, the last ten years have been good to me, once I dealt with losing you, but I've carried your face with me through all of it."

"What now?" She whispered.

His smile was slow and dangerous, and parts of her were very interested in it. "I'm going to bury my mother."

She blinked and sat up. "How?"

"My accident managed to quiet most of the rumors and gossip regarding my parentage; now that I'm looking at it, I don't like the coincidences. But I've called in a few favors, had Elijah do some digging. What we've been finding is very interesting. Esther was apparently blackmailing my biological father for years. The circumstantial evidence that she had a knowledge about my wreck is too much to ignore, coupled with her interference with our marriage…"

"What does that mean?"

"We'd probably never get a conviction in court, but there are other ways to give dear old mum her comeuppance."

Caroline tilted her head. "Which branch of your military were you in again?"

Secrets and laughter in his eyes. "Tell me Caroline, what do you want?"

She chewed on her lip, ignored the way her stomach tightened at how he watched the motion. "I've got some vacation coming up, and I've finally got things in a place where day to day oversight isn't a requirement."

Both of Klaus' brows arched. "What does that mean?"

"I know last time we were in this position, you were going to move here. I'm not sure I can afford to do an even split, but it's been ten years. Expecting either of us to completely uproot isn't fair. And I'd like to meet your family; I've never actually made it to London."

His head tilted, smile slowly tugging upward. "You want to see London?"

"I want to be with you," Caroline told him, with a nervous shrug. "I know this isn't going to be easy, it was never going to be easy, but I want it."

Klaus brought her palm to his lips. "I have a confession."

She narrowed her eyes. "I swear to God, if you're fake-married to someone else…"

He laughed, the sound filled with joy. "I have an apartment in this city."

Caroline blinked at him, brows bunching together. "You do?"

His smile widened. "And an apartment in London."

"You live in London?"

A secret smile. "When I'm not at the Estate."

Her fingers went lax in his hold and her voice was pitched high when she stuttered out her question. "How… how many homes do you have?"

"Right now?" Klaus hummed a noise. "We have four. Five, if you own this place."

Caroline stared at him completely dumbfounded.

He stroked her cheek. "I'd live wherever you wanted, love."

"How… how'd you… you're ex-military," she rambled. "Esther said you were entitled money from your dad's estate, but I threw her out and I never…"

Klaus snorted. "That'd have been pennies, a bribe. A sum the rest of us wouldn't noticed her spending, and a way to implicate you. When Ansel died, he left me the bulk of his money and his estates. The title is minor…"

Caroline squeaked.

Laughter, as he pulled her against his chest and rolled her beneath him. He kissed her, until she arched into him, hands tangling in his curls. "I love you."

She bit his lip and held on tighter. Lifting his head to her protest, he smiled at her, so that the corners of his eyes crinkled. "I can't wait to show you the world."

She huffed, wrapped her legs around his hips. "Celebratory sex first, travel plans later."

His laughter faded into a moan.

* * *

"So what do you think, Lady Mikaelson?"

Caroline glanced over, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The air was chilly, and the heavy coat Klaus had produced was a warm barrier, but she still tucked against his side.

Christmas in London.

He'd promised New Year's in Paris.

Enzo was hosting a party when they returned to New York. Klaus wanted to meet the man indirectly responsible for reuniting them; Caroline wanted to get to know Marcel, in whose bar Klaus was a silent partner. That both Enzo and Marcel already knew each other from time spent in London's party circuit was another piece of serendipity Esther could never have planned for.

She turned her face into his shoulder and grinned. "It's lovely. I'm particularly fond of the fact that Esther will never set foot here again. It's petty, and I don't care."

Dimples, as he adjusted her scarf. But the glitter in his gaze, it promised he wasn't finished with that particular avenue. Caroline knew that the audit and fine toothed comb that was being used on all aspects of Esther Mikaelson's life was grating on the older woman. But it'd been the look on Esther's face when she and Klaus had walked into the family's Christmas Eve dinner that she would cherish forever.

"I like your vindictive side," Klaus said. "But sweetheart, we've the next three days alone. And none of my plans have any room for thoughts of Esther."

Caroline looped her arms around his neck and smiled. "What if I have plans?"

His thumb smoothed over her lips, smile turning wicked in all the best ways.

"I'm open to negotiation."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	15. Kaleidoscope Chords

This drabble is actually three parts. The first bit was just supposed to be a quick synopsis... and it ballooned from there. :)

* * *

 **Leave an AU and a pairing in my ask and I'll give you the plot of the fic I won't write for it.**

Part One: ! kc + celebrity au

Caroline looked at her watch, checked it for the last time and finally nodded. He wasn't coming. That was fine. As much as she'd hate to miss this exhibit - how exactly had Tyler gotten those tickets anyway? - the fury that was turning her lungs tight and her chest hot was keeping her tears at bay. And that was so much better than being mortified from being stood up, after having stood inside the gallery doors waiting for the past half hour.

She'd taken three steps towards the door when a warm, male voice broke into her furious internal monologue.

"There you are, love," Warm fingers grasped hers, warmer lips brushed across her cheekbones. "My sincere apologies that I'm late. American traffic is a bit of a nightmare."

Caroline turned, stared up at the wicked blue eyes and playful smirk, the completely unfair dimples cutting into his cheeks. Blinking with her brows tucked together, she parted her lips to protest, but before she could speak - he brought her wrist to his mouth, lingering as he breathed in her perfume.

"I'll make it up to you," her stranger murmured against her skin, eyes laughing. "Did you still wish to attend the exhibit?"

Caroline Forbes is rescued from a mortifying situation when she (ex)boyfriend is a no show to the Art Event of the Year. What makes it worse is that Tyler insisted on getting the tickets when he knew how important mingling was to her business.

Her temper was the only reason she'd agreed to the rescue from the mysterious man with those gorgeous dimples. But that curious, acerbic wit and his art knowledge was why she'd impulsively scribbled her number on a napkin. It was his daring eyes that led to that kiss on the cheek.

But none of that helped her absolute horror to see herself plastered all over the tabloids the next day:

Klaus Mikaelson, renowned playboy, Rock and Roll darling and mysterious blond.

 _Mysterious blond._

Then the flowers showed up.

* * *

 **Part 2: For the sweetheart who'd asked for something that wasn't for klaroweek. And goldcaught. She kno** ws why.

He sent her sunflowers.

Caroline stared at the brilliant bouquet that was sitting on her coffee table and swallowed. Her phone was vibrating in her hand, her TV was blaring loudly in the background but all she could look at where the splashes of sunshine, caught in a pretty vase.

Reluctantly, she smiled. Tried to squash it with her teeth, catching her lip tightly and bouncing on her toes. These sorts of things didn't happen to her. She wasn't rescued from being stood up by a charming British man with dimples and acerbic wit. She didn't spend three hours debating art and color and parties.

She didn't give said men cheek kisses and laugh at those sexy pouts. Certainly she didn't leave behind her number scrawled on a napkin with butterflies in her stomach and a flush in her face.

There was a card.

Caroline sat on her couch with a thump. Taking a moment to breathe through her nose, she reached for the inconspicuous card. What did Klaus Mikaelson, Rock God (to quote Katherine's shrieking voice in her ear that morning) write on a card to the girl who'd no clue who he was?

He'd drawn her tattoo.

In quick, hurried lines Klaus had sketched the image of the bird on the underside of her wrist. Somehow, he'd managed to capture the delicate beauty that had drawn her to the image in the first place. That sense of freedom she'd needed once upon a time.

'You ink your stories on your skin. I've been shown the ending - take me back to the beginning?'

Drawing her knees to her chest, she finally let herself smile. Felt herself flush a little with pleasure. Tossing her phone to the end of the couch, Caroline laughed to herself.

Maybe she would.

* * *

 **Part Three: For AU Week.**

Caroline left the venue with flushed skin and a pounding heart. It had been a last minute decision, a bit of a splurge, but as she followed in the wake of the crowd she didn't regret it. _Abstract Choir_ was amazing. She'd known that, having hidden a few iTunes downloads guiltily on her phone. But when a last minute convention had shown up on her radar, she'd been unable to help rolling the dice on a gamble for tickets.

A dent in her pocket book when she could have scored a free pass was something Katherine would mock her for. Although, her loose and free friend would be highly entertained by straight laced Caroline rearranging her flight home to see her… to see Klaus in concert. But as she fanned herself with her program, she was relieved she didn't have to see Klaus in person so shortly after watching him perform. The Rockstar who'd been inserting himself into her life - pizza picnics on the floor of her living room, those endearing little sketches, a barrage of text messages - was hot on stage.

If the number of panties flung at him said anything, she was hardly the only one who thought so.

She'd known the details of the group once Katherine had barged over with several Google search printouts after her accidental brush with the tabloids. Caroline had known he was magnetic and charming, the devil in his smile. But until a Time Magazine article was shoved in her face, she'd never had thought to put that playful determination down to a legitimate rock god.

She'd have been wrong.

Klaus Mikaelson might have been lead vocalist, but neither Rebekah nor Kol Mikaelson were shabby. So far, her favorite was when Rebekah and Klaus sang duet, their voices blending in a way that left goosebumps. Rebekah's husband Enzo rounded out the group, and they were magic.

Caroline waited until she was the airport, waiting to board her red-eye flight back to New York to pull out her phone. There were a few missed texts from Katherine, a call from her mom and the one she'd known would be there.

' _L.A. says hi.'_

She traced the words, debated with herself before sending her response. She had half an hour before her plane took off, and he deserved it after the flowers he'd sent her last week. The little card with its printed message (did you blush for me?) that turned her already pink face scarlet.

 _'L.A. traffic is a nightmare. BTW, think your third set is my favorite.'_

She flipped through the romance novel on her kindle, waited for the text to buzz back. Instead, her phone started vibrating and the smile curling her lips was full of amusement.

"Hello?"

"Sweetheart, where are you?"

"The airport," she said blithely. She could hear the commotion in the background, sounds of either an after party or their tour bus. She'd learned that Kol could bounce for hours after a performance and occasionally created enough noise for a herd of small elephants.

"Caroline," Klaus growled, accent more pronounced than normal. "Tell me you weren't at our show tonight."

"Okay."

Klaus exhaled roughly. "I should spank you."

She snorted. "Not if you like your hands."

"Where were you sitting?"

Caroline laughed, stretching her legs. "Does it matter? You'd never have found me in that mob."

"You'd be surprised," Klaus said. "Why not tell me you wanted to see the show? The venue was sold out."

Because Caroline had suspected that if she'd been attracted to him when he was still just Klaus, watching him in his element would shatter the self control she barely held on to. She'd been right. Two years ago, she'd have considered her own brand of throwing her panties. Tonight, she'd have kissed him. Taking that glorious mouth and talented tongue with her own until they both moaned.

Klaus didn't need to know that.

"I wasn't sure if I'd have the time," Caroline dismissed. "No point in getting your hopes up. The show was nice."

A snort, "Nice? Bite your tongue; better yet, join us at the next city and I'll do it for you."

She scowled, feeling the blush work up her throat at his brazen teasing. "Seriously?"

"Come now, love - that's a rather tame fantasy compared to the rest of what I'd like to do with you." Klaus' voice lowered, tone rich with promise. "Let me buy you a ticket."

She swallowed. Cleared her throat. "Can't, I've got a few big parties lined up. I'll see you in New York in a month like you planned."

"Hmm," he hummed. His words were playful, but edged in a warning that flipped her stomach. "I won't forget this, Caroline."

God, she hoped not.

"Promises," she murmured as she saw the flight attendant move to start boarding. "Gotta go. Try not to catch anything from all that underwear tossed at you."

"The only girl whose - "

She ended the call before he could finish the sentence and fanned herself. He'd be delighted if he knew exactly how pink her face was and she cursed under her breath. How was it this man crawled so easily under her skin and left her wheeling?

Hopefully a month was enough time to brace herself.

* * *

"If you're not going to smoke, you might as well give me a light."

Klaus glanced up from where he was leaning against the side of the tour bus. It had rained during their concert, and the concrete smelled like oil and rain. A combination he didn't particularly mind. Flicking open the lighter he'd been twirling in hand, he offered the flame to his brother.

"Bekah will have your hide."

Kol grinned, blowing out a puff of smoke. "We all have our vices. I lived through two years of Bekah making eyes at Enzo. My tobacco habit is half her fault."

"In a rush to ruin your vocals?"

"Nah," he shook his pack with a mournful noise, looking across the chain link fence to the cars splashing through the rain slick roads. "I picked this pack up a few weeks ago. Mostly, I just do it to annoy our darling sister."

"That's something, then."

"Don't give me the big brother schtick," Kol said bluntly. "Especially when you're out here mooning."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "I'm not mooning."

"I flipped through your sketchbook. Pretty girl. Those little snatches of lyrics were a bit sappy."

"You keep this up, they'll never find your body."

"You'll never be able to replace me; Ringo Starr might have fallen into the lap of the Beatles, but the ladies love me."

"They love you shirtless."

"I noticed a lack of shirt ripping from you lately," Kol pointed out as he ground the cigarette butt into the concrete. "Bekah wants a baby."

Klaus blinked, canted his head. "You sound surprised."

"Things are changing," Kol said flatly. "Next thing you know, we'll be shopping for a new guitarist. You're making moon eyes at some girl who makes you eat pizza on her floor."

"You're worried we're going to break up."

"Hedging my bets," Kol replied with a shrug.

Klaus tilted his head back, stared at the dark sky. "Things are always changing, Kol. But I can promise you, whatever choices we make, it'll be as a family."

Kol shoved his hands in his pocket, shrugged. "Sure. If you say so Nik."

Klaus watched him head inside and pulled out his phone. Scrolled through the texts he'd exchanged a few hours ago. His bubble of sunshine, with her pink blushes and biting tongue. He didn't know what quirk of fate had led him to approach her, the pretty blond with the furious eyes and flushed cheeks. But what had started as a whim had shifted until that soft kiss against his cheek hadn't been enough.

Bekah been vocal about wanting a break after this tour. Klaus had been considering it. The timing was good, they'd had a good run with the last record, and everyone was feeling the drag of nearly five years of constant touring. Settling, being able to take the time to dig into their new material was an idea he liked.

Give him a chance to explore these intriguing sparks between him and Caroline.

Still, he understood Kol's unease. For ten years, the band had been the most important part of their lives. Since he'd moved out at eighteen, determined to never take another penny from Mikael, to Bekah and Kol showing up, dragging their own instruments and wearing stubborn expressions. It'd been Elijah, who'd finagled their emancipation. Elijah, who'd quietly fought for their trusts and clued Klaus to his parentage and subsequent inheritance.

What a lot of the _Abstract Choir_ fans didn't realize was that Elijah himself was a very gifted vocalist. Klaus had once asked him why he didn't wish to join their band, back before Enzo had made an impression with his jack of all trades skills towards most instruments.

Elijah's smile had been wistful. "I'm where I need to be."

For ten years, they'd bled and sweated their music. They'd mostly avoided the lure of drugs, but that was due more to Elijah than any particular restraint on their part. He'd had his fair share of one night stands, but once the band had really taken off, the risk hadn't been worth it.

Another two weeks and they'd be back in NYC. Then he'd decide what risks were worth taking. His eyes narrowed, considering the best ways to finagle his revenge.

Caroline had come to the show, to watch them play. Without telling him. He tilted his head back to glare at the darkness of the clouds.

Rebekah stuck her head out the door. "Get your ass inside. We're set to go, and I don't want to hear any wanking from your bunk."

"Charming as always," Klaus shot back, moving back inside their movable home. "Enzo, take better care of your wife."

"I'll strangle you and replace you with Elijah, see if I don't!"

* * *

Caroline pushed into her apartment building with a grimace, waving thankfully at the doorman who was looking at her sympathetically. The rain had turned what was supposed to have been a lovely walk home into a nightmare. Scowling at the state of her shoes, she swiped under her eyes as she approached the elevator in some attempt to make herself presentable. Her hair was heavy with moisture, curls wet against her cheeks and she blinked at herself in the reflective surface of the door once it closed.

And started laughing.

She was still giggling at her appearance when she turned the corner to her apartment. Glancing up from her purse, keys in hand, she froze. Eyes wide, Caroline stared at the figure leaning against the wall next to her door.

Klaus Mikaelson wearing a pair of jeans, black leather jacket open to show the softness of the henley underneath, that fascinating collection of necklaces visible above the collar of his shirt. There were plastic bags at his feet, and as his glaze lifted from his phone to meet hers, her stomach flipped.

She hadn't seen him this close since they ate pizza on her floor. She felt her pulse jump at the expression in his eyes, that focused intensity that had dared her from the start. His mouth curled as he took her in, eyes warm with open, amused affection while she scowled at him. Tried not to think too closely about how those lips felt against hers, how nimble that gifted tongue of his really was.

"You're not supposed to be here for another week."

"And you snuck into my show without telling me," Klaus drawled as he tucked his phone away. He bent and lifted the bags, arching a brow as she continued to glare at him. He held takeout she knew, from the Chinese place she loved down the street, and she tried to remember if the takeout menus had been left out where he could see them, last time. "I brought dinner."

"If I'd had plans?"

His eyes went dark, the blue deepening as his smile shifted into something wicked. "I'm very persuasive. I believe you called me charming."

"Seriously?" She huffed before striding forward, refusing to blush as he traced her with his gaze. "If you make a single umbrella comment…"

"Why would I? Would you like some help changing out of those wet clothes?" Klaus question with a curling smirk.

"If you think I'm changing into anything other than comfy clothes, you're going to be disappointed." Caroline warned, eyes narrowing as she unlocked her door. He moved close enough that she could catch the faintest hint of cologne and her throat went dry. She cut her eyes over to catch that glitter behind his gaze and huffed. "What?"

He shifted the bags, touched the curve of her chin. "I'm happy to peel you out of whatever you are wearing later, Caroline. Raggedy sweats are hardly going to hide how beautiful you are."

Her face went hot and she scowled at the delight in his face as he shifted his fingers to brush her blushing cheekbone. "Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

"Just hopeful," Klaus replied he moved so she could shut the door. "Bus rides are long, sweetheart. Gives a man time to think. The asian man who took my order said you liked extra egg rolls, so you'd best hurry before they get cold. I'm pretty sure I remember where you keep the forks."

It took splashing her face in her bathroom for her face to cool after his easy suggestion that he'd spent time on the road fantasizing about her. She lifted her face and studied herself for a moment. She'd changed into a long sleeved shirt that was more comfortable than formfitting, and a soft pair of flannel pants. It'd been a long week, and she'd been looking forward to vegging on her couch. Majorly hot rock gods who were apparently making moves or not, wearing a bra was as far as she was willing to go to be presentable. A few swipes of moisturizer, and she tugged her damp hair into a messy bun and braced herself for an evening with her own personal wet dream.

She was going to be a little disappointed if he didn't make that move.

A few weeks after watching Klaus on stage, that low voice of his crooning the crowd into a frenzy, gave a girl lots of time to think too. If this was a normal relationship, they'd be eating that chinese food cold or reheated. She'd been fascinated by Klaus Mikaelson since he traced her tattoo with his forefinger at that art gallery, and asked her if birds or swallows in particular were what meant something to her.

Then that morning after the their meeting at the gallery and subsequent tabloid article, he'd met her for coffee and been delightfully persuasive, charming her with his accent and teasing. Somehow, that date had slid under the radar, so she'd agreed to another. That one had left her splashed all over the tabloids a second time, so he'd shown up with pizza and an apology, eyes dark with irritation that she was being dragged into the spotlight.

"I'll understand if you want to end this, love."

Caroline peaked around her door, studied him carefully. "What is _this_ that I'd be ending?"

"Fascination," Klaus said, eyes dark. "You're fascinating, Caroline Forbes."

No lies, no smooth attempts to cajole her. Just a sharp honesty that did nothing to hide the want in his eyes. Lips pursing, she tilted her head and noded. Opened her door. "Smart, bringing the pizza. I'm hungry. I suppose you can have some."

The picnic on her floor had been fun. She'd known he was well traveled, but listening to his stories of pre-fame, of dragging his siblings through dingy little bars and horrible sets as they clawed out a following had left her laughing so hard her stomach muscles had hurt. She'd been wiping her face, grinning at him when he'd kissed her. Soft lips angled against hers, and the softest touch of his fingers against her cheek. Klaus coaxed instead of demanded, and she chased his lips with her tongue, until her back was flat to the floor and all of him was pressed so temptingly against her.

"When you say extra egg rolls, how many are you expecting to get?" Caroline asked as she walked out of her bathroom, face finally only slightly pink. Klaus had removed his boots, shoved the couch back to mimic their last meal and spread the opened containers across her battered coffee table. She blinked at the number of options, canted her head as she glanced at him. "Did you order enough?"

"My share," Klaus retorted, offering her a fork. There were two bottles of water on the table, and she sank next to him with a sigh. "And nothing wrong with leftovers."

She side eyed him, settling cross legged to steal a bite of orange chicken. "Is this a commentary on my cooking?"

"Are you offering to cook for me?" He questioned, lips curling.

"Well, that depends," Caroline informed him. "How many egg rolls do you think you're getting and are you worth my cooking?"

His smile turned wicked, blue eyes glinting with mischief and she pointed her fork at him. "No."

"Now, sweetheart…"

She shook her head and determinedly dug into the container closest to her. Caroline knew that look, the calculation that had always led to a blush. She wasn't shy, but there was something about the way that he looked at her - intimate and wanting - that unnerved her usual confidence.

"Uh huh. No."

Klaus shook in silent laughter next to her, but followed her lead. There was a tiny fight over the Kung Pao, but since he didn't argue with his allotment of egg rolls, she let him win. Eventually, she leaned back against the couch with a pleased sigh. The rain was really coming down now, with flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder.

"Your hotel isn't far, is it?"

Klaus finished closing the containers and leaned back to press against her side. He reached up to toy with curl that had worked free of her bun. "Well, that depends."

"On what?"

"I have the next three days off. We had a issue at a venue, had to shift a concert date."

Caroline turned to look at him, tried to ignore the press of his thigh against hers. "That'll be nice. Too bad it's raining."

Klaus shrugged, dimples just showing as he grinned at her. "I don't mind a little rain; an excellent excuse to stay in bed."

"I didn't take you as a layabout," she murmured, caught by the look behind his eyes. The slow burn. "I've seen your abs."

"I didn't plan on doing much sleeping," he replied in amusement. His hand shifted, thumb stroking across her lips. "Would you like some company this weekend, Caroline?"

She twisted to look at him, breathed in deeply at the naked want on his face. Another slow brush of callouses left her lips burning. Eyes holding his, she deliberately brushed the pad of his thumb with her tongue on the next stroke. Lips curving slightly at the way his eyes went dark, she pulled away from his hand.

"I suppose you can take the couch," Her words were a touch breathless and teasing.

Both brows arched, Klaus' head dipped so that their breaths mingled. His eyes were heated, full of playful challenge as he responded. "Seems a waste, love. I've had more than one fantasy of waking you, all soft and warm from sleep, and this pretty blush right here suggests I'm not the only one who been fantasizing."

His fingers traced the bridge of her nose. When she spoke, her words were a dare. "I wake grumpy."

The slow, wicked smile had her breath catching. "Do you? I'd be delighted to see how grumpy you are with my tongue on your clit."

She swallowed at that glitter of promise in his gaze. She didn't want to say no. She'd be insane to say no. Leaning forward, she pressed a fast, pecking kiss against mouth, pulled just as quickly away.

"The food won't put itself away."

Her rockstar narrowed his magnetic eyes. Pushing to his feet, his voice was low and rough when he spoke. "Caroline, sweetheart, all I want to do is tangle you in your sheets and make you come; lick that delectable blush wherever it touches your skin. My hand is hardly a substitute for you all hot and wet."

She froze, fingers hovering above one of the containers. Licking dry lips, her insides fluttered as he blatantly watched her mouth. "Stop trying to make me blush."

"Come here, Caroline," Klaus cajoled, lips curling. "The food will be fine."

It wasn't worth teasing, when he was looking at her like that. Not when she could see the evidence of his arousal; she was already damp, those rough, blunt words leaving her flushed. She stepped into his body, arched both brows as he tangled his fingers into her hair.

"I don't usually take orders."

He chuckled low in her throat and kissed her cheek, her chin and with his free hand, urged her closer and started to just sway. "I can seduce you from over there, but this is better."

She curled her arms around his neck, pressed her breasts against his chest, and smiled. "Seduce?"

A kiss against at the corner of her mouth. "Seduce. Beguile. _Charm_."

Each word was accompanied by soft kisses, everywhere but her lips. She made a noise of complaint, rubbed up against him. "Why don't you just kiss me?"

"I don't know," he teased. "Are you worth my kisses?"

Caroline took his mouth, retaliated against his smile with a sharp bite. He cupped her ass, hauled her closer and sucked on her tongue. She moaned, didn't care as they tumbled onto the couch and stayed there.

The food was still there, the next afternoon when she came out for brunch.

* * *

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief as the noise from the crowd cut off as the door shut. Catching her bottom lip between her teeth, she met Marcel's gaze with a rueful look.

"I might not have thought that through."

He arched both brows, snorted out a laugh. "Too late for that, Sunshine. Let's get you to the dressing rooms. I'd pay to be a fly on the wall, when he sees you."

She smoothed her shirt, obediently slipped behind him, the lanyard around her neck giving her access to the hallways they were quickly walking. Her flight had been delayed, and then traffic had been a bitch. Caroline could faintly hear the sounds of the opening act, but she was determined to at least see him before the show.

They hadn't been in the same city since that rain soaked weekend when Klaus had repeatedly melted her brain. Part of it had been her, part of it had been his schedule, but the second weekend they thought they would have had never happened. It was strange, how they'd only spent three days together and she already missed him in her apartment.

It was the little things - the smell of his cologne, the tea that sat in her cabinet and waking to the soft sounds of him sketching, or that once, Klaus softly thrumming through the cords of a song.

 _Waking slowly, naked and a little sore, Caroline parted heavy eyes to see where the unfamiliar sounds were coming from. Breath catching, she stared at Klaus who was sitting on her desk chair, shirtless and sex mused, strumming an acoustic guitar she'd never seen before. Utterly sated from the night before, she'd have been embarrassed at how immediately she reacted to the sight of him, if it hadn't been Klaus._

 _Stretching just a little, she arched a brow when he gaze lifted to hers. "I don't own a guitar."_

 _His lips curled, dimples just showing and she knew her cheeks were heating as Klaus dragged his eyes down what the sheet wasn't hiding. "Good morning, Caroline. A friend dropped a few things off."_

 _She blinked and sat up. His gaze landed on her chest and she hoisted the sheet with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure you got an eyeful last night."_

" _Did I? Feel free to spend the day naked, love. I believe I need to make a study of your skin in all types of lighting; in the many shades of sunlight. For comparative purposes."_

 _Caroline tossed a pillow at him, which he blocked with a grin. "So you just invite people to my apartment?"_

" _I trust Marcel with my secrets, love." Klaus gave her a serious look. "He'll keep your identity safe."_

 _She was surprised, at how her shoulders relaxed at his words. "Thank you."_

 _Another melting grin, his fingers strumming absently through the chords as rain continued to beat down against the building. Shifting his gaze to hers, he deliberately set the instrument aside and stood. The way he moved could only be described as prowling, and he crawled back on the bed with a wicked smile._

" _While you seem decidedly not grumpy, Caroline, I believe I was remiss in how I woke you this morning. Allow me to make it up to you."_

God, had he. His tongue should come with a warning. And as much as she missed him, as those texts and that one round of phone sex they'd snuck in that hadn't been enough, that wasn't why she was here.

"Thank God," a blond woman muttered as she stepped out from behind a door that was clearly a dressing room. Caroline nearly swallowed her tongue when she realized who it was. "Maybe you can calm him the fuck down."

"We've got twenty minutes until go, so if you don't mind moving, Rebekah, that'd be great." Marcel said firmly as he steered Caroline past Klaus' sister.

Two days ago, the tabloids had exploded with a sex scandal involving Klaus and an underaged fan. Caroline had woken to Katherine storming her apartment, hands clutched around half a dozen tabloids. She'd ranted around the apartment while Caroline slowly perused them, stomach tight at the accusations.

Then Klaus had called.

Bitingly furious, he'd ground out his assurance that it wasn't true. The thing was that she'd believed him. Maybe that was stupid, but nothing she'd seen had twinged a single of her warning instincts. Her mom was a cop, she'd seen enough growing up to trust her gut.

"Klaus," she interrupted, silencing both him and Katherine. "It's okay. I believe you."

Katherine had narrowed her eyes, but stayed silent. Klaus had made a soft noise of surprise, but she didn't let him speak. "Katherine is here, so I need to keep her from wrecking my apartment, but we'll talk later. I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Klaus had warned, voice edged. She could hear the commotion around him, knew he didn't have much time either. That was okay.

"Good."

Because he didn't have to call her. Whatever time zone he was in and whatever was going on, Klaus had made an effort to reach out. Relieved that he'd believed her, she had calmed her best friend and gone to work. She and Klaus kept missing each other on the phone, and it wasn't until two days later that she realized exactly how much that'd eaten at him.

" _Miss Forbes?"_

 _Caroline came to a sudden stop and blinked at the tall, dark haired man who looked vaguely familiar. Katherine stopped next to her, a noise of interest escaping her friend._

" _Yes?"_

" _I'm Elijah Mikaelson," he gave her a slight smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I was wondering if we could speak?"_

" _Hang on, Care," Katherine warned as she pulled out her phone. "I don't care if he's claiming to be the pope, a man that hot in a suit this time of day is either who he says he is or a serial killer."_

 _Elijah tilted his head just slightly, gaze shifting to Katherine. Something thawed just a hair's breadth behind those sharp eyes, brow arching upwards. "Would it help if I showed some I.D?"_

" _Please, like you can't forge that shit. Google will give me what I need," Katherine informed him bluntly. Caroline was amused to see the ice ease just little more, gaze narrowing in that carefully stoic face._

" _Kat?"_

" _Google says someone who looks like him is Elijah Mikaelson. I've pepper spray if we need it."_

 _Elijah motioned with his hand. "Satisfied?"_

 _"For now," Katherine said lowly and Caroline almost laughed at the sudden, flirtatious edge to her voice._

" _We'll have to work on that."_

 _Caroline peeked at Elijah as she unlocked her door, but his expression hadn't altered, and he seemed to have deliberately ignored Katherine's flirting. Stepping inside, Kat sauntered forward and glanced from beneath her lashes as she walked by._

" _I don't date musicians."_

 _Still reserved, but the faintest twitch to his mouth. "I'm a lawyer."_

" _Are you here as a lawyer, or Klaus' brother, Mr. Mikaelson?"_

" _Please, call me Elijah," he said as his gaze flickered across her apartment. "Thankfully, today I'm a brother."_

" _Let me guess," Katherine said as she sat, legs crossing provocatively. "You want to apologize on Klaus' behalf."_

" _Actually, if you're willing, I'd like to fly you to their next concert."_

" _What?"_

" _Why?"_

 _Their words tumbled over each other, Caroline's surprised, and Katherine's suspicious._

" _Because he needs to see you. And the last time Rebekah attempted to break a guitar over his head, it took weeks to get a replacement. I believe it is still a point of contention." His tone was somber, even as his lips curled slightly. "Nik is many things, Miss Forbes, but rarely is he fickle. You would be doing us a great favor, if you would see him."_

So now she was standing outside his dressing room, suddenly nervous. She hadn't bothered dressing up, it was too warm here for that. A comfortable dress, decent shoes, her curls yanked into a messy ponytail. He'd seen her naked, had helped detangle her wild curls post-sex and she'd paraded around without makeup. She still wished - for a moment - that she'd put more thought into this.

Still, she wasn't a coward.

She opened the door and stepped in. Klaus was pacing, hand in his hair and he twisted to face her with a frown. He froze as he stared at her, hair wild. He was dressed in a black t-shirt, black jeans and those familiar necklaces wrapped around his neck. The room smelled like him, that bite of his cologne and she breathed deep as she shut the door.

"Hi."

Klaus blinked, almost visibly shook himself. "Caroline?"

"So, I realize this is a bit of a surprise and all, but your family is _incredibly nosy_ , and…" Her words cut off when he closed the distance between them in three strides and kissed her. It was hot and possessive, one hand sliding to her ass, the other cupping her jaw. Caroline moaned, and fisted her hands in his shirt for balance as he swept his tongue between her lips.

When he lifted his head, they were both panting. Softening his grip, he swept her cheekbone with his thumb. "You're here."

She smiled at him. "Yes, and you know about it."

Those eyes narrowed, head tilting. "It had better have only been that once."

She ignored his tease, cupped his jaw. "Are you alright?"

Klaus' face tightened and he pulled away from her, leaving her chilly in the room. "I'm bloody furious, but Elijah is working on it."

"He seems the type to be thorough at his job," Caroline said softly as he resumed pacing. Klaus turned and looked at her, brows arched. "I said your family was incredibly nosy. And something about a guitar…"

Klaus made an amused sound, raking his hands through his hair. "You weren't answering my calls."

She blinked. "I was working, but I tried calling back."

A narrowed eyed glance that conveyed too many emotions for her to read. "I know."

Caroline felt like she'd take a blow to her chest. He didn't know. Something about those missed calls, her quick voice-mails had hurt him. For a moment, she cursed whoever had left him with whatever wound this had ripped back open and she took a step towards him. "Klaus, I wasn't ignoring you."

"I didn't say you that you were, sweetheart."

She stepped into his space, and pushed him hard enough that he stumbled into his dressing table, not expecting her move. Surprised eyes swung to her, but she stepped right into him, glared that short distance into his gaze.

"I wasn't ignoring you," she repeated firmly. "I know you didn't touch her, the same way I trust you to not sleep with anyone now that you're on the road. _This_ is important to me. You are important to me. And I realize we haven't really discussed being in an actual relationship, but I want that."

He'd frozen at her first sentence, and something bloomed behind his eyes that made her heart pound.

"I trust you, okay? I'd never have let you stay otherwise."

He bent to kiss her, hands curling around her arms and she ducked. "Caroline. You cannot make that sort of declaration and not let me kiss you."

She hooked her fingers into his jeans, nipped quickly at his unfairly lush bottom lip and then skimmed his throat. He tried to tilt her head, a low growl in his throat that she silenced by dropping to her knees. Glancing up at him, she fisted her hands in his t-shirt and lifted the fabric.

"I don't like sharing."

He shook a little as her breath brushed his skin. "I'm not one for it either."

"Good. I'm going to be very clear here. If you want me - this, _us_ \- I'm in. And when I tell you something, I mean it. I can promise, I'm blunt. If there is an issue, you'll know about it."

He nodded, eyes going heavy lidded as she brushed her lips across the hard line of his abs.

"Now, I'm going to give you something to think about while you're getting strangers' underwear tossed at you," Caroline drawled before licking just below his navel. He shuddered as she slowly eased his zipper downed, fingers dragging against the bulge of his erection.

"Caroline," he ground out, breath at hitching as her tongue snaked below the waistband of his boxers. She curled her fingers around what she could, with him still clothed and when his eyes shut, head tilting back with a groan she pulled his boxers down until he sprung free.

"Sweetheart, are you…" His words cut off with a snarl when she enclosed the tip of him between her lips and flicked lightly with her tongue. His hand tightened in her hair, his other flattened against his dressing table in an attempt to remain steady. She moaned at the slight tug, and he flexed his hands as she took a little more of him into her mouth.

Wrapping the fingers of one hand around the base of his cock, she massaged his balls with the other while slowly working him with her mouth; all hot suction and deliberate brushes of her tongue. He was cursing, knuckles gripping the table with white knuckled intensity. She glanced up through her lashes and used the faintest hint of her teeth as she drew back, releasing him with a soft noise.

Klaus hissed, teeth locked together.

"Klaus," Caroline said firmly, voice rough with her own arousal. His eyes slotted open, dark and heavy lidded with arousal, the bridge of his nose and arch of his cheekbones flushed red. She smiled at him, and kept his gaze as she took him back into her mouth, tongue sliding against the underside of his cock. She pumped him firmly with her hand and he went rigid, arching upwards just as someone started pounding on the door.

"Two minutes!"

Klaus' response turned the air blue. Caroline released him, gaze apologetic when he reached down and grasped her arms. In one rough move, he hauled her up to his mouth and kissed her. It was hot and messy, his tongue nearly frantic against hers before he pulled back.

"Take off your panties."

A little dazed from that kiss, she stared at him. "Huh?"

"If I have to go up there limping with blue balls love, then I want to be able to think about you, all wet and waiting," he nipped her lip. "Might not help with this erection, but it'll be worth it."

She felt herself blush. "Klaus…"

"Oh no sweetheart," Klaus told her with a wicked smile, tucking his erection back into his pants. "You don't like me looking at those others girls' underwear? Give me yours."

She swore at him as there was another set of bangs. "One minute, Mikaelson!"

Caroline wiggled out of her thong, threw it at him with a burning face. He grinned and shoved it in his pocket, edge of the red lace just showing; kissed her hard on the lips. "I'll smell you all show. Better be ready for me when this is done, love."

Then he was moving towards the door in quick, uneven strides before he paused. Glancing at her, eyes glittering, Klaus arched one eyebrow. "And Caroline, you're next orgasm had better come from me. No taking care of yourself. We'll both suffer, until I can get my tongue on you."

Then he was gone.

A few moments later, she heard the screams as a lone, electric guitar sounded out and Caroline fanned herself; her face bright red. Shifting uncomfortably, because she was wet and without underwear, she found herself smiling anyway.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	16. The Way Back

So, everyone can thank willowaus and livingdeadblondequeen that this is even seeing the light of day. I think this was perhaps one of the very first things I tried writing. Cleaned it up a little, but there you go.

* * *

Caroline slowly opened her eyes and looked uncomprehendingly at the old familiarity that she'd left behind decades ago. Sitting up with a gasp, she jerked back into her headboard. Frantic, her gaze jumped from place to place, and she couldn't breathe.

Home. She was home. _Mystic Falls_.

Tears burned the back of her eyes, but she refused to blink them back, afraid she'd disappear. Her bedding strained under her hands, and she forced herself to relax; to gain some control of the emotions clamoring in her chest.

"Oh God, Bonnie. What did you do?"

Grabbing a pillow, she pressed her face into the old memory of the fabric, and she breathed in and out until her throat wasn't so clogged. Had it really been decades since she'd seen this house? Slept in this room? A sudden, forceful realization that her mom was alive left her winded. God, she needed to think.

Home. Diner food. Her Mom's perfume.

Lifting her face, looked around. What year was it? Obviously, she was a vampire. How far back had Bonnie sent her? Sliding out of the bed, she hunted for her phone. Where, where… the old, familiar case and dated technology had her swallowing heavily.

 _Oh God._

Tyler wasn't a hybrid yet. Her dad hadn't tortured her. Klaus hadn't killed Mikael or his hybrids. Elena was human.

But she couldn't save Jenna.

That hurt. She didn't even know what she was going to do, she'd had no control over when she arrived and already she'd been unable to save one person. Sinking to the floor, she clutched her phone.

It hadn't started yet. Not the worst of it. There were years between now and that first, inexpiable strike. But she now was alone.

Here, she was still a baby vampire.

Bonnie. _Bonnie_ …

 _Her friend had been crippled with pain, her body twisted by torture both physical and magical. But her eyes had been clear when Caroline blinked her back into focus._

 _"I'm sending you back."_

 _Caroline shifted slowly, chains clanking against the stone floor. "Back?"_

 _Today was the third day she'd been starved. Her second day of torture. Caroline didn't have enough blood to heal anymore; she'd already lost control once. Only the magically strengthened chains had saved Bonnie's life. Caroline was losing the fight for her humanity and she knew it._

 _She was so tired._

 _"To the beginning."_

 _"Impossible." Caroline nearly slurred. "You saw Klaus."_

 _Klaus. Bloody, beaten, defiant. Chained by magic and steel, he'd stared down the witches as they'd used the blood of his daughter to bind him. Caroline had never hated someone as much as she'd hated Hayley in that moment. The werewolf had watched without blinking, a faint smile on her face. Hayley was the mole. The traitor in their ranks. The reason everyone Caroline loved was captured, dead or missing._

 _Watching Klaus' face as his daughter was murdered had been terrifying. His impotent rage as Hope screamed; her frantic calls for Rebekah, the mother who had been missing for fifteen years. In that moment, Caroline had been certain he'd break free and slaughter all of them. Had seen the way his body had jerked against his bindings, the struggle the witches had restraining him._

 _It was his connection to his daughter that bound him. It was his daughter's blood that would seal the prison world they'd created with the slaughter of her friends. His daughter - the loophole that was really a trap, their final weapon._

 _Klaus had cared for his daughter, for all that Rebekah had raised her. And for all that his very human child had cared for him, it had been his brother, his sister who had craved the relationship with the baby; who'd campaigned for Hope and Hayley's lives when Klaus would have ended them both. But for all of Elijah's wishes, Klaus had very determinedly avoided a father-daughter bond. At the most, he was a distant, murderous uncle._

 _In those last few moments before time and magic banished him, Klaus' gaze caught hers. The pit behind his eyes - a thousand years of bloody vengeance - looked at her. She was bruised and bloody, bound tightly by the witches with the same steel that held him._

 _But not yet broken._

 _She'd known, holding that gaze, that it was over. She also knew, down to the marrow in her bones, that one day he'd break free. She just wouldn't be there to see his vengeance. That regret wrecked her, as he disappeared. No more promises, fanciful wishes or possibilities. All that was before her was torture and death._

 _"They did it wrong."_

 _Caroline forced her eyes to focus, forced herself to look at her friend. Bonnie had a little smile on her face and she she was moving her hands in slow, careful patterns._

 _"Bon?"_

 _"You won't forget me, right? The real me. I won't be the same. If you do it right." Bonnie's hands shook, but but her gaze was steady. Determined._

 _"No." Caroline said quietly. "Don't. It's done."_

 _Elijah and Rebekah were gone. Hayley's doing. Stefan was killed in an ambush years ago. Elena had walked away. No one knew where she was._

 _There was nothing left to fight for._

 _"Not yet." Bonnie whispered. "Not yet. You have to stop this from happening. You have to kill them. All of them. Stop Hayley. The witches."_

 _"Bonnie. It's over. Klaus is gone. Everyone is dead. The travelers and witches won."_

 _Bonnie lifted her hands, eyes going dark. "Before the other side, before bloodlines and spirits, witches had power. In blood and life and death. That power is everywhere, here. They forgot that."_

 _Her life. Bonnie was going to use her life and what power was in the old blood. She'd die._

 _"Don't do this." Caroline tried one last time. "Bonnie, I don't want to go back. I don't want to be alone."_

 _A place where she and Klaus were never allies; a time where she'd scorned what he offered, refused him. His loss was a bloody wound that would not heal._

 _Bonnie looked up, eyes fierce. Half-starved, the look brought out the sharp lines of her cheekbones and the fierceness of her eyes. Caroline thought for a moment that this was what her ancestors must have looked like, fighting vampires and werewolves._

 _"You won't be."_

 _Then it just hurt._

Hurt inside and out as everything went dark and horrible. But worse was the knowledge that her best friend had sacrificed herself again. In a desperate, misplaced hope to try again. To get it right.

But there was no getting it right. There was only different. Didn't Bonnie know that Caroline should've died in that dungeon?

But instead she was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, decades in the past. Alone. Haunted by memories - so many horrors. She wasn't the same Caroline as before, either. She'd lived through war, torture beyond nightmares, and lost everything.

Pressing her face into her hands, she cried.

* * *

Her Mom didn't notice anything at dinner. Distracted by work, she'd hardly done more than eat what Caroline put in front of her and before heading off to shower. Liz didn't notice the way Caroline could hardly keep her eyes off her. She'd been surprised by the hug, but Caroline had brushed it off.

That was okay. It was going to be okay. If she had to take the town apart piece by piece to avoid her mom's fate this time, she would.

Liz Forbes would go out on a tropical island, old and grey and fragile.

* * *

Being tortured by your dad still sucked the second time around.

* * *

Caroline's first rule of time travel: change everything. Yeah, she'd read books that said that was a bad idea (seriously, Harry Potter counted). But she couldn't do all of it again. Not when her heart was so ruined it felt broken most days. After hours of writing out timelines and trying to remember all those minute details…

The previous timeline sucked.

She'd rather burn the world herself than face that future a second time. It was possible that this new future would be worse - she had no idea what the consequences of her actions would be - but she was done.

Case in point: Tyler.

She'd sat cross legged on her bed, papers and notes scattered around her, detailing the lives of her friends, and Caroline had looked at all the things she'd let go. Tyler… she'd ruined him. She could admit that in the silence of the home she'd thought gone forever; she'd sacrificed him on the altar of Klaus and she didn't regret that. The boy who lived now - the angry, rebellious boy - should get a chance to live a life that wasn't a constant state of revenge; in a personal war he'd never win.

She'd picked her side years ago. Had sealed it with sweat soaked sheets, with blood and flesh beneath her teeth, with pain and pleasure, with Klaus. Caroline had chosen her own personal devil, the scourge of the supernatural and he'd worked every day so she didn't regret it.

But she couldn't think of that.

So instead, she focused on survival.

She'd promised.

The first major move would be easy. Kill Hayley. Fuck the witches and their balance, those ridiculous loopholes. Hope wouldn't happen. Remembering the look in her eyes, broken and tortured, Hope's human years stark on her face; Caroline thought she would understand.

Not that it mattered.

There would be no werewolf games this time. As soon as Hayley showed her face, Caroline was ripping out her heart. Then she'd burn Hayley's body to ash, destroying any and all anchors. She'd like to take her time, make her suffer, but sometimes a clean cut was best.

Which was why she was here. The show must go on, even haunted by the ghosts of future pasts. Mystic Falls High School was the same, boring hell of her memories.

Sighing heavily, Caroline jumped at how close Bonnie was standing. She'd spent the first week after her 'return' watching to see if anyone else made it back. If they had, they were better actors than her.

The Bonnie in standing in Mystic Falls High wasn't her Bonnie. Her face was too young, cheeks still rounded by a hint of baby fat. This Bonnie had never practiced expression, faced down Silas or stood in the middle of a war ravaged New Orleans, watching her enemies burn. She'd never died.

Part of Caroline was thankful.

The rest her was just bitter.

This wasn't her Bonnie. She hoped someday she could look past who Bonnie had been to who she was now. She'd like to be friends again.

"Hey. You okay?" Bonnie asked, books cradled in front of her body warily. She looked a little uneasy, guilt flickering behind her eyes. Caroline wondered what kind of intervention this was and who'd sent her.

Caroline shifted her own books, tried to smile. "Maybe I should be asking you that."

Bonnie shrugged, looking away for a moment. The warning bell for their next class period was loud, but Caroline had finally stopped flinching away from it. She hadn't missed high school.

"You sure?" Bonnie questioned. She glanced back over, lip caught between her teeth. "You've been different."

"Yeah, well, almost being sacrificed by a crazy hybrid has a way to change a person. Oh, and parental torture. The real kind." Caroline frowned. "If a girl can't reevaluate after that, when can she?"

Both of Bonnie's eyebrows shot up and she visibly hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. I guess so. Is that why you missed Senior Prank Night?"

Caroline swallowed. Last night she'd sat in her room, face pressed between her knees and counted each minute. She couldn't do it. She just couldn't. Not when she missed him so badly, when her palms itched for his skin. Not when she laid awake at night, alone with a bone deep chill.

But today there was no Rebekah. Tyler wasn't a hybrid. Klaus was MIA. She didn't know what that meant. Hugging her books tight to her chest, she took a slow breath.

Confessed.

"No. Yes. I… I broke it off with Tyler." Caroline chewed on her lip. "Although, honestly, I'm not sure we were together, together."

Bonnie blinked. "What? But you… I thought you guys were serious."

It'd been that way, hadn't it? She'd fought for Tyler, defied the most powerful creature on the planet for him. Staring at the familiar, twisting hallways of a life that had become memory, Caroline swallowed.

"You know what? Let's skip. I want fries and a shake. Interested?"

Bonnie hesitated. Looked around. "Care…"

"I'm emotionally distraught," Caroline pointed out, smiling hesitantly. Her Bonnie wouldn't have wanted to skip either. "Please."

Making a face, Bonnie finally nodded. "Fine. But you're totally buying."

The grill was quiet.

Sliding into a booth, she happily dunked a fry into her shake and rolled her eyes at Bonnie's face. "Not a word from the peanut gallery."

Bonnie fiddled with her straw. She looked nervous, but when no one said anything other than to drop off their orders, she relaxed.

"Bon?"

"I… we've never done this before."

Caroline pointed a fry at her. "Which totally sucks. We should try it again, later."

Bonnie shook her head and looked at her. "Are you okay? This past week was hard, and honestly it's sucked for everyone, but…"

Caroline shrugged and ate another fry. It wasn't like she could tell Bonnie the truth. Marathoning the Terminator Series had only driven home the point that no one took anything anyone said after 'I'm from the future' seriously, until shit blew up.

Plus, the whole Klaus thing.

"Care…"

"I will be." Caroline said finally, firmly. "I mean, have you thought about everything that's sort of just gone crazy this last year? Pretty sure I deserve an occasional freak out."

"Well, yes." Bonnie said with a shrug. "But that's life, right?"

Caroline pointed a fry at her. "Bonnie, I love you, okay? But on what planet does werewolves, vampires, and witches mixing with rituals and curses sound normal?"

"This one?" Bonnie replied, brows lowering. "Caroline, I don't get it. I thought you liked being a vampire?"

She huffed. "Seriously?"

"I don't understand where this is coming from." Bonnie said warily. "What are you trying to say?"

How do you ask your best friend not to die for you? How do you condense decades of fighting, of smashing your way through life together into a few sentences? How do you start? How do you tell her the Salvatores are idiots, vampire Elena is a selfish bitch and that you'd do anything - kill everyone - to keep her safe?

"Nothing," Caroline said quietly. "It doesn't matter."

"Is this about your break up with Tyler?" Bonnie asked, reaching for her hand. "Because he's a werewolf? He wouldn't hurt you."

She snorted. Tyler wouldn't hurt her, because he couldn't. Caroline-the-monster knew how to fight, the fastest way to the heart through the ribs, the force it took to snap a femur. Caroline learned a long time ago not to play fair.

But those secrets lived under her skin.

"He won't defend me, either. Oh, don't give me that look. I don't need a knight, okay? I can take care of myself. But is it so bad to… want to actually be a priority?"

"What happened?"

"You remember when Jules tortured me?" Caroline asked softly, fiddling with a fry and watching Bonnie from under her lashes.

"Yeah." Bonnie said softly.

"Did I tell you that Tyler watched?" She asked. "He left me in that cage. Tyler said nothing as he watched them tear me open."

"But Tyler's changed." Bonnie said. "He wouldn't do that now."

"Yeah, maybe. But do I just hope that's the case, or do I just… my dad used to braid my hair."

"Wait, what?"

"Dad used to braid my hair." Caroline smiled wistfully. "Easier than combing out tangles. He'd take this bright pink hair brush and carefully braid my hair every night."

Bonnie's hand tightened on hers. "I didn't know that."

Her gaze caught Bonnie's, held it. "And a few days ago, he tried to torture my vampirism out from under my skin, like it was a choice; that I could just turn it off. That it was better if would just walk into the sun and burn."

Caroline swallowed and looked at her hands. "So if I can't trust that someone who loved me enough to braid and re-braid my hair to my exacting standards, my dad who used to chase the monsters out from under my bed, and he tortured me, how can I trust Tyler? All I needed him to do was to ask them to stop."

"I don't know." Bonnie said finally. "But you've got the time to figure it out."

"Yeah. Anyway, I guess I'm not over it, as much as I thought. I think for now, we just both need some space." Caroline took a long drink through her straw. Licking her lips, she shrugged. "Tyler deserves to figure his shit out too."

"That's good to know, sweetheart, since Mr. Lockwood will be indisposed for quite some time."

Caroline felt every muscle in her body lock up in shock. She wasn't ready for this. It was why she'd chickened out last night. She didn't have a plan. Slowly, she turned to find Klaus watching her, and behind him Rebekah looking bored.

She didn't remember this. When had this conversation happened? He'd never approached her, not until after the bite. He wasn't following his previous schedule at all.

"What do you want?" Bonnie demanded. She was pale, but trying to hide her fear. "What did you do to Tyler?"

Klaus glanced over at Bonnie and smiled. Strolling forward, he stole a fry from Caroline's plate, expression thoughtful as he took them in. "You both look like fairly intelligent women."

What?

"I have a proposition for you."

Was he… recruiting them? Disbelief kept her mute. He was inches away from her - alive, healthy and newly Hybrid. God, he even smelled the same. She curled her hands into fists to avoid reaching for him.

It didn't matter that this man wasn't hers. It didn't matter that he'd kill her just as easily as anyone else. Everything inside her screamed to reach out and take. It was like the punch of a hand through the ribs, grasping fingers locking around your heart. Everything inside her stilled, pulled taut by a bone deep hurt.

"No." Bonnie said firmly. "Whatever it is, we're not interested. Where's Tyler?"

Turning, his blue eyes caught her. Tugged at her. "And you sweetheart? Not going to hear me out?"

She didn't know what he wanted. This Klaus might wish to burn the world to ash. As hard as her instincts rode her to reach out, to demand he trust her, she lifted her chin in challenge. It was probably a stupid idea, challenging him so early in their acquaintance. But death at this point meant what, exactly? Boredom, maybe.

Those playful eyes of his were not going to draw her in. Like she didn't know this game. "Tyler and I might not be dating, but Bonnie is right. None of us will let you hurt him."

Klaus' eyes narrowed, something unreadable crossing his face. "Worried about his teeth, sweetheart?"

Caroline ate her fry, "None of your business."

Rebekah's mouth curved, but she didn't say anything. God, she'd missed that bitch's face. But that narrow-eyed intensity rattled her. What was going on here?

"How so?" Klaus smiled, a dimpled thing that spoke of mischief and fun; all of it lies. Mostly. His idea of fun would shock everyone except, possibly, Stefan.

"I don't generally discuss my personal life with people who've tried to kill me." Caroline replied, frowning at him.

"Ah, but if I heard correctly you do date those who've let you be tortured." Klaus' gaze challenged her. Had he always shown her this much emotion, this early? Or was he similar enough to the man she'd come to know that she could read him?

"He apologized."

God, his dimples. They cut deep against his cheeks and her breath caught in her throat. "Ah, well then. Shall I apologize?"

Wait, was he flirting with her?

"No," Caroline bit out. "He meant it."

His lips curled and Klaus leaned close, invading her space. "I'm sure you've been told, love. I'm going to build an army. Your little doppelgänger friend is the key to that. Give her a message for me. She can give me the blood I want or I can take it. That'll be messy. People will die."

Klaus didn't make deals. Tilting her head, she tried to read him. What was this? She hadn't made nearly enough changes. This made no sense.

"You've already killed people," Bonnie snapped, interrupting her frantic thoughts.

Rebekah laughed. "The town still stands. We haven't ground it to rust beneath our heels. Take our deal."

"Ah," Klaus murmured. "Baby sisters. Quite dramatic. Forgive her. She's still reeling from suddenly becoming an orphan."

What?

 _But_ …

Reaching out, Klaus caught one of her curls, twisted it around his finger. "I'd hate to break something as beautiful as you, Caroline Forbes. Give Elena Gilbert my message."

She jerked her head back, ignoring the sting of her hair being pulled. He let her go with a smile. "Go to hell."

Still smiling, Klaus filched the rest of her fries and walked out. Rebekah watched them, eyes dark with promise before she followed. Caroline stared at them, reeling. The Originals were playing nice? How much of an alternate universe was this?

Bonnie took a shaky breath. "What was that?"

Caroline swallowed. "I don't know. But we'd better talk to Elena about this."

Personally, her axis had tilted. She wondered what the others would make of this newest insanity. The sooner they figured out this nonsense the better.

* * *

Elena refused.

So had the Salvatores. One of these days, she was going to snap and kill Damon. She didn't have the patience for him, for his taunts, those smug jabs. She wondered what he'd think if he knew she'd pulled out his insides once before, as a warning.

So instead of trying to broker a deal, Caroline sat on her bed and listened to her mother breathe. She didn't sleep much anymore. Nightmares had become a rather constant companion of hers. Sometimes she could almost taste the prison in the back of her throat. It was so, so hard to not just leave and start hunting.

She'd gotten good at suppressing those instincts, but holding back the aggression she'd developed to survive was hard. Mostly, it made her quieter. Less bossy. If she pushed too hard now, it'd end with snapped necks and not tears.

Mostly, she missed her friends. It was like living with their shadows. The potential was there, but the people she loved and fought for were not. God, she felt lost.

Stefan was the same. Damon was still an ass and douche-nozzle. She was pretty sure Elena was always that… well, whatever. It probably wasn't fair to judge her one time friend on a lack of maturity. Caroline had decades on her. She was trying really hard not to remember the day Elena threw in the towel and left.

But the Originals?

Klaus and Rebekah were here, but they weren't infighting. Why? And God, his behavior with her? The open flirting? Honestly, that might've just been one of his schemes. It was easy enough to overhear Damon's opinion on her character. On the outside, she looked like an excellent Trojan horse. Klaus had clearly been eavesdropping - once a stalker, always a stalker - and he could be charming. But it wasn't quite the right brand of charm…

Caroline pressed her face into her palms. She needed to find a way to stop reading into the slightest of differences around her. Just because Klaus called her sweetheart and made eyes at her, well, that didn't necessarily mean anything.

 _'I don't want to be alone.'_

 _'You won't be.'_

What did you mean, Bonnie? What was she missing? The timeline that Bonnie sent her back into could have been completely different than the one she knew, she just hadn't found those differences yet. Seventeen-year old Caroline Forbes had lived a very sheltered life, even after The Originals had barged in.

So maybe that meant other things had changed, probably before she was born. Maybe he hadn't met Stefan in Chicago, maybe they hadn't ever gone to Chicago. She hadn't managed to bring that up yet.

She supposed it didn't matter. In the end, she had a list of people to kill. Maybe Klaus would help her, maybe he wouldn't. What she needed to do was figure out what was going to keep her mom alive, give Bonnie the best chance of survival and just do it.

If only her shields against Klaus weren't paper thin.

Caroline sighed heavily. There were just so many loose ends she couldn't control. Klaus had said Rebekah was an orphan. So he'd killed both Mikael and Esther? How? When? With no threat, and with him currently playing nice, that meant no hybrid bite. No ball. No conversations about genuine beauty and offers to see the world. No interest.

So why was he flirting? Why approach her at all? Why was she doing this to herself?

The sudden, sharp sound of something hitting her window brought her head around. Freezing, she listened intently for what was outside, and a moment later something else rattled the glass. Sliding out of bed, she yanked open her curtain and cursed at the sight of Klaus standing in her yard.

"What are you doing?" Standing like that, in the shadows of her yard and the moon, her mouth ran dry. Every single part of her lit up, need for him a burn in her gut.

Klaus' smile was lazy. "We haven't had a chance to discuss my offer."

"I don't talk to sociopaths, much less at night, when I'm not wearing pants." Caroline growled and then froze. Why had that come out of her mouth?

She was not flirting back.

"Well, I'd certainly hate for you to be uncomfortable." Klaus drawled, lips curving just the slightest. Was that interest? No. No she wouldn't do this to herself.

"Then leave."

"Caroline, I'd like to have a word. It'd be a shame to wake your mother. Why don't you come downstairs?"

And now they were back to the veiled threats of the evening. She bared her teeth at him in a fake smile. "Seriously? Your freaky hybrid hearing can probably understand me just fine even if I shut this window and whisper."

"Be that as it may, I'd prefer to be on a more even footing. Since you won't invite me in," he ignored her eye-roll and continued. "Then all I ask is that you come downstairs while I stand on your porch."

"Seriously?"

"I can light the house on fire," He offered with that smile. "But I thought you'd prefer to keep your home intact."

She shut her window.

"And sweetheart, don't put pants on for my account."

Spitting out a few quiet curses, she bit down hard on her lower lip. She could not flirt with this man. He was not amusing. Grabbing the first set of sweats she could find, Caroline slipped downstairs silently and cracked the door.

Klaus was waiting for her, hands in his pockets. His pose was nonchalant, but she'd seen him reach out and casually rip out hearts from a similar pose too many times to be fooled.

"Here I thought you were a bit braver, Caroline." Klaus said lightly, eyes dragging over what little he could see of her.

"You also said I was smart. I'm here. Talk." Caroline said firmly.

The smile left his eyes, iron and something dangerous filling his gaze. "Be careful, Caroline. Your tongue will grow back."

"Don't threaten me." Caroline said firmly. "And don't threaten my mom."

He looked more amused than angry at her response. "You'll find I can do whatever I want. Did you speak to the doppelgänger?"

"Elena said no. Also, I'm not your messenger."

"Pity." Klaus shrugged. "If your little group prefers to do this the hard way, it's certainly more entertaining."

"They've no reason to trust you," Caroline retorted, hand tightening into fist behind her back.

"And you?" Klaus asked, slow smile curving his lips. She cursed her slip of tongue. "What do you think?"

"Most people don't go around building hybrid armies from hell. Is that what you want to do with Tyler?" Caroline deflected, eyes narrowing.

"I'd forget about Mr. Lockwood, Caroline." Klaus said, eyes flat and cold.

"No. He's my friend."

"I wonder," he said, stepping closer to her. Her fingers tightened on the door at the sudden, searing expression behind his eyes, the calculating way he watched her. "What it would take to earn your loyalty?"

Caroline's brows bunched, her confusion real. Klaus - her Klaus - had never done this, been so open. God, it had taken her dying in front of him for him to even admit his feelings were real. He had minions, servants and family. He didn't want loyalty when he could have fear.

"Are you being serious right now?"

Klaus arched a brow. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Caroline scoffed. "Oh yeah? You mean other than the threat of burning my house down, ripping out my tongue, and the promise to turn Elena into a blood bag? But I'm supposed to be dumb enough to believe you want to play nice? Gain my loyalty? Do I look stupid?"

He stepped closer, blue eyes hardening. "My plans are not mutually exclusive to the doppelgänger. Be very sure before you reject me, love. You've a very human mother."

"Go to hell."

Another faint, twisting smile. "I take care of what's mine; those who are loyalty to me. Think about it."

Then he was gone.

Caroline shut the door before sinking to her knees. He was up to something. Her eyes burned and she banged her head against the door. Now all she needed was a drawing to show up. Then she'd really be in hell.

* * *

It was in her locker on Monday.

The drawing was of her, looking rumpled and irritated, hair falling in messy curls around her face. She was clad in her long, oversized sleep shirt and noticeably without pants.

The caption?

 _'Thank you for your honesty. Let's see what I can do to change your opinion.'_

 _Ass_.

She kept it.

* * *

"My brother doesn't make deals."

Caroline shoved her pom poms into her gym bag and faced the Original who'd interrupted her post-workout calm. Rebekah was dressed casually, she looked amazingly stylish, comfortable in her skin in a way that suggested the last eighty years hadn't been in a box.

"Goody for him," Caroline started unwinding her sweaty braids, uncaring if she looked ridiculous. "Why should I care?"

"Because you're not going to get a better offer." Rebekah said with a shrug. "Eventually, the Salvatores will do something stupid and then the deal will be off the table completely."

"Oh yes. The offer where he builds his hybrid army. Assuming we actually believed him when he promised not to hurt Elena, how does that even make sense? We barter for her life with the lives of how many?" Caroline crossed her arms.

"And you can do what, to stop it?" Rebekah shook her head, lips curled upwards into a smirk. "You can't kill us. We've taken care of that little issue. Do you think you can stop us? You're a child - an infant vampire whose value as a tactical piece is so infinitesimal that compulsion is a waste. I know Stefan, little Caroline Forbes. He thinks he's in love. He'll sacrifice everything around him in some grand, romantic gesture before he offers himself as the next sacrifice. Then Damon will sweep in to claim whatever pieces are left. It's actually pathetic if you think about it."

Well, that answered the question about Chicago. At least part of it. The problem was she knew Rebekah was right. She'd spent the last week sleepless and stressed, churning through every possibility. This Klaus was unleashed, a little more balanced, a lot more ruthless than she remembered. She knew he'd rip the town apart, sink his teeth and claws into everything and laugh as Mystic Falls bled.

The problem was she wouldn't mind. There was a war building, even if the chess pieces were still scattered. A hybrid army to fling at the gaping maw of the travelers, at the blood-thirst of Silas?

 _Yes._

Except she was supposed to be Caroline Forbes of Mystic Falls. She'd never sunk teeth and fist into the enemy, hadn't coordinated skirmishes, dug into the gut and history of her opponents. She'd never pressed the most powerful being into her bed, stripped him with words and hands, and broken them both open.

The Caroline she was supposed to be didn't look at Rebekah and see friend. She looked at her and saw death. The enemy.

"Look, Rebekah, right? I don't know where you think you know Stefan from. I honestly don't care," Caroline crossed her arms. "I do care about my friends. What's to keep you from taking Elena, killing all of us, and just walking away?"

Rebekah stepped forward, smile fading to show the truth she wore under her skin. Damon thought of Rebekah as weak. Caroline knew better. This was Klaus' sister, the Original who'd stood at his side for centuries. Rebekah had painted the world red, swallowed it in bites that left fire and death in her wake, had danced with her brother over corpses too many to count.

Rebekah was dangerous.

"What's to stop us now? It isn't a matter of us getting her blood." She reached out and tugged on a damp curl. Caroline tensed, eyes narrowing. "We'll get it. The only question you have to ask yourself is this: do you care more about these faceless, nameless werewolves, these walking blood-bags, more than you care for your Mom. Your friends? Because I will leave them in bloody pieces at the doppelgängers feet."

Caroline curled her hands into fists. "Why are you telling me this?"

Threatening her.

Rebekah tugged lightly, before releasing her hair and stepping away. "Why not?"

"No." Caroline said softly, nerves jumpy from the predatory look in Rebekah's gaze. "You don't do anything without a reason."

"Talk to my brother."

For the first time since she woke in her bed, hope nearly strangled her. She nearly called out after Rebekah, asked the questions burning on her tongue. Instead, she picked up her bag and headed home.

* * *

Caroline stared at the newspaper in front of her, hands squeezing so hard the wood table cracked. Professor Atticus Shane from Whitmore University had been found dead that morning. The police were withholding information, but it appeared to be a suicide.

Everything inside her shook.

 _Impossible._ It was impossible. Her fingers shook, as she grasped the newspaper. What if it wasn't? What would she risk to be right?

Hands holding the paper, she flashed to the Mikaelson Mansion. Caroline pounded on the door, and she waited in tense silence as it opened. Rebekah looked at her and smirked.

"Rethink our offer?"

"Where's your brother?"

"Which one?" Rebekah asked with a laugh. "I have three."

"Let her in Rebekah," Klaus called from inside the house. "Let's see what the cheerleader wants."

"You can ask her. I have plans."

She forced herself to wait for Rebekah to show her to where Klaus was lounging on sofa, an amused smile on his face. Let herself stare at him with greedy eyes until he looked up from his sketchbook, brows arching.

"I don't hear you agreeing to my terms, little vampire."

"Did you kill him?" The words were blurted out before she could stop herself, waving the paper in his direction.

"I've killed lots of people, love. I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Professor Shane."

Professor Shane. The first chess piece in the game towards Silas, the first test for those who would later trap Klaus. Her back hit the wall behind her hard enough to rattle bone, but she didn't care. Trembling, she stared up at that narrowed, hybrid gold gaze - the raw intensity of his expression. "And what is your interest in a college professor, Caroline?"

Slowly, carefully she reached up and touched his jaw. Her voice shook when she found it. "Klaus?"

Klaus leaned forward until their noses were nearly touching. She stared at him with wide eyes. His nails dug into her skin and the yellow around his pupil was incandescent.

"Be very, very careful sweetheart." He warned, voice feather soft.

"Please be real," She whispered back. " _Please_."

His gaze narrowed and his face blurred. She blinked rapidly, fighting the tears, but they spilled over anyway. He released her arms and cupped her jaw, thumbs wiping her cheeks as he studied her face.

"Caroline?"

She swallowed, hard. Her voice wobbled only a little when she spoke. "You're supposed to be in a prison world."

Klaus went utterly still.

She didn't know who lunged for who, but her hands were buried in his hair and his mouth was wild and demanding against hers. Thumbs pressing against her jaw, his tongue swept inside her mouth, aggressive and everything she remembered. Digging her nails into his neck, she kissed him back just as fiercely.

Caroline curled her arms around his neck, and she jumped to wrap her legs around his waist. Curled as tightly as she could against his body, desperate for assurance that this was real. They exchanged frantic, needy kisses before he pulled his mouth away to hitch her higher against him.

"I'm not done with you," Caroline warned, kissing along his jaw as he started to walk.

"I've had you only in my dreams for decades, Caroline." Klaus said roughly as he flashed up the stairs. "The things I've in mind, love, will be far more comfortable on my bed."

She stroked his face, stared at the rawness behind his eyes and blinked wet lashes. Tried to find some levity. "We never broke in this particular bed."

"That," Klaus said as he tumbled them onto his mattress. "Was your fault."

Her eyes narrowed as she was pinned beneath him. Caroline curled her legs around his waist, hitched as close to his body as she could while they both wore clothes. She reached up, and raked her fingers through his hair, just to watch his eyes close.

"Hardly my fault," Caroline informed him as she dragged her nails down the nape of his neck. "You're never as charming as you think you are."

He bit her, fangs digging deep as he insinuated his hand down her skirt, rubbing her firmly through her cotton underwear. She arched, body a tightly strung bow as her senses reeled; his free wrist pressed against her lips and she dug her fangs into his skin, her orgasm hitting hard as his blood touched her tongue.

Klaus lifted his head, lips and chin stained with her blood as he ripped her top and bra away from her body, leaving her skin bare to his lingering fingertips. "Now, Caroline, I'm always charming."

"You're lucky I think you're pretty," Caroline replied, but there was no bite to her voice as she stripped him of his top, running greedy palms over his chest and abs.

"Luck has nothing up do with it," Klaus said firmly before scattering kisses across the curves of her breasts. "Let me remind you."

Later, after they'd ruined the sheets, Caroline pressed her face against his shoulder. She trembled against him, as he cradled her close. "I watched you disappear."

Lips in her hair. "I know. "

She breathed against his skin, refusing to move. Here. He was here. Klaus. This was her Klaus. Holding her close, who'd just spent the last hour assuaging both of their touch hunger.

"Sweetheart… why are you here?" His hand stroked down her spine. "I'm not complaining, but you shouldn't be."

Reluctantly, she lifted her head, "Bonnie."

He made a noise in his chest and her nipples tightened. Ignoring it for the moment, she pressed her fingers into his skin.

"She was… broken." Caroline said quietly. "Bonnie. Once you were gone, they had no more use for us outside of torture. "

Klaus' jaw jumped. Caroline shook her head. "I'm better. Eventually, I'll be alright. Bonnie found magic, from somewhere. I don't know where, but she… she claimed whatever they had done - the witches and travelers - it'd been done wrong. She wanted me to come back and fix it."

He closed his eyes, expression pained. She swallowed and confessed in a small voice.

"I didn't want too."

Her back hit the mattress, the warmth of him a hard line down her front. "Never feel guilty for that."

She shook her head. Eyes tightly shut. "But you're here! I would have let my selfishness destroy any chance we had, again, and…"

Klaus' lips were warm, persuasive. Sliding across hers softly, they exchange lazy kisses. He kissed her until she softened beneath him, until she moaned.

He pulled back and shook his head. "No. No what-ifs. You're here. I've had plenty of time to go over everything repeatedly. While it does offer a certain perspective, it's not worth it now."

She scowled at him. "We both know that my brain doesn't work like that."

"It was worth a try."

Caroline just stared at him for a long moment, before she whispered her next words. "I've missed you."

Klaus traced her cheek. "And I you. Nightmares?"

"If I sleep." Caroline admitted. "Watching you disappear, knowing that Bonnie sacrificed herself, you so close, but not you…"

"Yes," His eyes were dark. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I… Senior Prank Night was my first test. I failed."

"That explains your sudden change in behavior. Your cover with the torture was reasonable enough that I didn't blink. But the way you looked at me…"

"Were you there?" Her brows bunched. "What on earth did you do with Tyler?"

"No. I was tying up loose ends. I've never intended to change Tyler, in this timeline. That's never gotten me anything but misery." Klaus shrugged. "He's lucky he's breathing."

"Where is he?"

"Hunting," His smile turned feral.

"Hayley?"

"Yes." Klaus caught her gaze, held it. "I've had decades to plan. Her, I will never kill; what waits for Hayley is an eternity of torture. What I did to Katerina will seem merciful."

Caroline cupped his face. "Are you sure?"

"No speeches? No arguments on how this isn't the same Hayley? She hasn't made those decisions?"

"I saw her face when they banished you." She threw her leg over his waist, part to feel him, part to be close. "I spent three days in that dungeon, watching Bonnie break. I broke. So no."

He'd went motionless. "I will wipe all of them from existence. When I'm finished, their bloodline will be eradicated and their cult wiped from human memory."

"Good. I'll help."

His face softened. "When I woke in Chicago, Rebekah was screaming at me. We were running from Mikael, Stefan was gone and all I could do was grab her. After years of hunting, there she was."

Caroline thought that she was the only person who knew how Rebekah's disappearance had gutted him. That someone had taken her from him, that she was lost and no one - not even Bonnie - could find her, it had enraged him.

"I told her everything."

Caroline blinked in surprise.

"Everything?"

"Even I can be taught." Klaus chided, expression suddenly tired. "I was trapped in a timeline where you hadn't even been born yet. Kol was in a box, Elijah gone. My enemies were hidden, scattered to the winds."

"She believed you?"

"Apparently my hug was enough of a shock that she listened. Belief was a decade or so after that."

Caroline's smile wobbled. "Was that why you tried to be charming these last few days?"

"There was no trying," Klaus said in amusement. "I've had years to learn how you think."

"You weren't charming," she said with an eye roll. "You were confusing. Nothing you said or did matched my memory, and you were making eyes at me anyway."

Klaus snorted, but his touch was gentle as he smoothed her hair. "If I had known it was you, I'd have stolen you that first night."

"I would have thrown myself at you," Caroline said honestly. "I've been miserable and you've been here this whole time."

"Whatever quirk of fate brought you back to me, I've no intention of wasting it," Klaus said roughly, kissing slowly down her neck. "I've had decades to plan."

Her spine arched as he kissed across the curves of her breasts. "I want in."

"I'd be disappointed otherwise," Klaus murmured before he licked across one nipple. "Later, we'll discuss whatever you want, love. But first, I've a few other needs to sate."

"Then it's my turn," Caroline warned as he moved slowly down her abdomen. Eyes hot with desire glittered at her.

"If you're still conscious, you may do whatever you like," Klaus said blithely.

"Promises," she retorted, just to see the devilment in his eyes, the curl of his mouth.

"Here I'd thought Paris would have taught you not to make that particular challenge, sweetheart."

Caroline shrugged, watched him from beneath her lashes. "The other timeline might have given you better stamina."

An arched brow, and Klaus laughed softly. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

He did warn her.

And later, body heavy and pleasurably exhausted, she sank into her first real sleep since she'd woken in her past; with hot kisses against her shoulder and practiced fingers smoothing through her hair.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	17. All the Way Down

cbk1000: _Original!Caroline, newborn!Klaus–literally anything you want in this AU. I just need it._

Happy birthday! I hope this meets your expectations, since I wrote it at work. _Shhhh_.

I seem to really like Venice…

* * *

There were flecks of paint on his fingers.

Fan flicking out, Caroline ran her tongue along her lips, brows arched in curiosity. She loved Italy. With its tangled renaissance of religion and sin, Rome and Venice so different, but carved by such similar hands. Both had suited her purposes through the years. Rome with its money and secrets. But Venice was always her favorite. She'd spent several decades in the fourteen hundreds bending the city to her whims. The canals and shadow societies, those delicious feuds that were so easily influenced.

Over the years, she'd kept an eye on its development, made a point to eat those who displeased her. Let the Pope have his Papal States, this city on the water was hers. It's beautiful prostitution and black markets, with a shadow council that bent to her will, they'd all existed because she'd allowed it.

Sometimes, she'd look over the water, feet warmed by the remains of her dinner and smile. She'd even allow herself to wonder, what might have occurred if she hadn't woken with her mother's blood between her teeth, her father's horror turning the air putrid. What could have been, if her village hadn't been massacred leaving so few survivors behind, if her mother hadn't been so desperate to save her.

Her mother, she regretted.

Her father, she only wished would have suffered longer.

All good things ended, and it'd been a century or so since she'd been so far south. There had been other, more interesting places to sink her teeth into. That delightful time in Russia, with Peter II being so easily manipulated and then the glorious chaos as Anna and Elizabeth of Russia squabbled for power. London had bored her, but France.

She could still smell the blood and terror of Paris, had gorged herself for years. Caroline had bathed in the red rivers, had a personal, private collection of heads deep in the catacombs beneath the city.

Her jewelry collection was _magnificent_.

But even a monster can be bored by slaughter. So she'd followed her feet, found herself back in a city she'd once turned into her seat of power. She'd been here for a few months, blending back into a society that never quite hid its vices, and chewed her way through those who thought her face and curls meant sweetness and an easy mark.

Caroline didn't recognize this curly haired babe.

He was a pretty picture, with dimples and bright eyes, a smile that promised all manners of sin. Leanly muscled, there was a ruthlessness there that she liked, but baby vampires with this much ambition rarely lasted long before something swatted them. But those tiny flecks, that barely there speckling of color against his knuckles intrigued her. Caroline freely admitted her attention could be fickle, rare was the creature that caught her gaze and held it.

But this baby vampire hadn't so much as flinched as he locked his gaze with hers. Those pretty eyes narrowed, the faintest veins of darkness crawling into his gaze and she smiled. Wasn't this a delightful little surprise? Just last night, she'd eaten the monster who'd thought to rule this city, had cleans his little gaggle of witches out from under her nails and none of them had seen it coming.

But studying her like she was a puzzle that might bite, was this curly haired child. Did he sense the predator under her skin or was he just mistrustful of a pretty face? Caroline decided she'd find out.

It'd been some time, since she played with something so easy on the eyes. If he was as skilled with his tongue as his smile promised, maybe she'd let him live. It was a pity, that her little Russian doll had decided to betray her - it might have been fun to watch two equally pretty creatures play before she demanded their attention again.

Ah well.

She wasn't much in a mood to share anyway.

* * *

Klaus Mikaelson. A bastard son of one of the councilmen she'd eaten upon her arrival back into Venice, mother a witch who'd fallen in with a local werewolf. He had a ridiculous number of siblings, an eye for color she appreciated and very talented with his tongue.

Fisting her fingers through those pretty curls, she yanked his throat back and bit sharply along the cords of his throat with blunt teeth. She kept him pinned to her bed with her thighs, ignored the way his fingers bit into her hips. Just a hint of fang, tongue sweeping along those delicious drops, and her mouth curved at the way he shuddered.

Those lovely hands slid up her naked waist, and she pushed him down before he could touch her breasts. Caroline clucked her tongue before she rocked wetly against lean abs with a sigh. "Did I say you could touch?"

Eyes gone black with blood lust and arousal, Klaus arched both brows as her fingers encircled his wrist, holding him still. "That seems to be counterproductive, love."

She tilted her head back, rocked against that little ridge of his tense muscles that felt good against her clit, even if it wasn't what she wanted. "I'm not particularly interested in what you think, Klaus."

His jaw jumped, at each slow grind, but there was a little flicker of dimples, as his mouth curved. "No, you're interested in my tongue. Why come like this, when I can do better with other parts of my anatomy?"

Caroline sighed, released his wrist to run her fingers along his scruff. She approved, when his fingers stayed still, eyes on her face even as she could feel the strain of holding still, of not studying her chest, the flare of her waist. Her ruthless little artist liked to see, to map with his hands. "Tell me, why shouldn't I change my mind and just eat you?"

A laugh lightened his eyes, glittered through his gaze in starbursts. A flex of his abdomen, and then his mouth feathered across hers as he spoke. "Difficult, to orgasm on my tongue if I'm dead, sweetheart. Shall I lick you until you scream or shall we skip right to my cock?"

She scraped her nails down his throat so that he bled, just to feel him shudder. "You will make me come with your tongue, twice, and then I'll decide if you can live. Maybe even come."

Klaus flipped them then, that pit she'd been so curious about devouring behind his eyes. He skimmed his mouth down her chin, chased his tongue across the line of her throat. Soft, lingering kisses across her collarbones, before he reached her breasts. Caroline moaned, at the hint of teeth across her nipple, but he didn't linger. Spreading her thighs, he glanced up through his pretty lashes, smile curving into something dimpled and a lot wicked.

"A challenge, then."

Caroline arched an unimpressed brow and then his head dipped, and she groaned at that first broad stroke across her clit. Letting her spine melt into the bedding, she rocked against that tongue, but just as quickly it slipped down, thrusting deep. Her fingers slid into his hair, and she didn't bother to hide her pleasure, fingers tight in his curls.

Klaus made a deep, pleased noise at a particular sharp tug and she fuzzily noted his reaction as he returned to her clit. The soft, wet stroke of his tongue was perfect, the added suction of his lips and the faintest hint of fang leaving her spiraling as she came.

He didn't bother giving her time to come down.

One hand slipped beneath her ass, lifting her hips, the other spreading her open as he delved his tongue back along dripping folds. Caroline groaned, hands moving to tug on her nipples, and he countered by thrusting first his tongue, then his fingers inside her. His mouth was rougher, scruff a rasp against her nerves, as he drove her higher. Toes curling into the bedding, hips lifting towards the hot suction of his lips, Caroline came with a cry.

When her lashes finally fluttered open, Klaus ran his tongue across his lips. The veins were dark under his eyes, and she could smell how aroused he was. "Shall I try for a third?"

Caroline hissed, and flipped them. She ripped off his pants, pinned him with one hand and sank into his stiff cock with no prelude. His muscles locked as she clenched, lashes squeezing shut as a rough noise escaped clenched teeth. She waited until his eyes opened, before cupping her breasts and rocking.

Klaus' hands tightened at her waist as she shuddered at each motion of her hips, fingers tugging sharply at her nipples. "You'll come when I tell you and not a moment sooner."

"Caroline," he managed and she bent closer, let her hair skim his sides, as he started to pant.

"If you beg, I might let you come sooner," she licked his chest before planting a hand on his abs and riding him in earnest. He choked, cheekbones sharp and flushed as she chased another orgasm.

"Will you beg for me?"

The way his head tossed, chest heaving, told her he would. As she slipped a hand to tease her clit, the first waves of her orgasms rippling through her muscles. She savored his bitten off curse, the whine of her name.

Oh yes, he'd beg.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

Later, Caroline traced her fingers across Klaus' back and smiled as he lazily opened his eyes, her precious baby vampire. He was worn and sated, body lax next to her. Delightful, with his ruined hair and red lips.

She stretched, hummed. "You may live until morning. You can convince me in the bath why you should see tomorrow evening."

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	18. Your Wicked Heart

Written for the 2015 AU Week

* * *

Caroline tucked her feet a little closer to her body, uncaring of how terrible her posture was or the maid's horrified reaction should she walk in. She'd pleaded a headache that morning, unwilling to face the quiet of the manor or the routine of dressing for the day.

The drizzle outside turned the English countryside grey, the usually picturesque view dull. It matched her mood perfectly. The past month had been slow, the recovery her heart and nerves needed - if only she'd managed to actually heal.

She'd broken her betrothal, and quietly fled London. It would buy her a little time, as no one would look for her here. But all it did was delay the consequences of her choices - Tyler had cared about her, but his family would never tolerate the loss of her inheritance. It was only a matter of time before they retaliated.

Then word had arrived that Katerina was dead. The Mikaelson family had disappeared as quickly as they'd arrived, setting the Ton on their collective ears. Caroline sighed heavily, letting the chill from her window seep into her skin.

Tomorrow she'd find the energy to walk to the local church and ask for prayers for her soul. She'd seen the devil - danced with him in gilded halls, tasted the sin on his lips - and craved more. Caroline was intimately aware that monsters wore human skin, had been so careful to skirt the edges of her betrothed's choice of lifestyle.

Until Klaus.

With black malady in his veins, the hot sting of his fangs against her throat as Tyler screamed and begged. She hadn't flinched from her death - had refused to give him that - and instead of pain and death, the monster had cradled her close; had soothed her frantic pulse with his tongue until the wound from his bite had sealed. And Caroline had found herself shaken; the hot band of Tyler's nightmare's arm wrapped around her waist, his fingers tangled in her hair while he kept her close.

Fool that she was, for a moment she'd let herself relax. Then those hot lips and hotter skin had pressed against her ear. His fingers stroking down the nape of her neck with a proprietary hold that had alarmed her far more than his bite.

"As for you love, you'll be keeping this quiet." The softest press of lips against the ridge of her ear. "I can compel your silence - ensure your cooperation - but this will be more fun."

Then he'd released her, stepping back to smile with her blood staining his lips, dripping down his chin. "Breathe a word of this, attempt to run and I'll eat everyone you care about before I come for you."

"Leave her out if this," Tyler had pleaded hoarsely. "She's not part of this. What use could you have for a mere girl?"

The devil laughed. His eyes flickered over Caroline's pale face. "Bait. Such beautiful bait."

And she'd played her part. Had refused to cower before her impending death - regardless of what Tyler thought, Klaus Mikaelson would kill them both. There was no life that could sate the monster Tyler had brought into her life.

But then…

He'd had the audacity to court her. To push aside all propriety and send her gifts. Leave them on her pillow. Small, carefully drawn pictures of her, little trinkets she admired when shopping.

Klaus had been so amused by her demands to stop. Dimples bracketing that charming, lie of a smile he'd laughed at her furious whispers. "Perhaps I admire you."

Caroline lifted her chin. "You don't see people as something to admire, you see us as food. My life was bargained so you could court Katerina Petrova."

"I'm setting her up for the slaughter, which you well know; she'll die before the next moon. Considering breaking our deal?"

"You've made your threats very clear," Caroline replied, looking away from him.

"Yes, and unlike your betrothed, you seem to realize how easily I will execute them." Klaus tilted his head, studied her profile. "Yet, you return what I give you, throw my generosity in my face."

Caroline fisted her hands in her skirt, paused as she turned to leave. "I do not fear my death, which we both know approaches a little more each day, but you will not make a mockery of my life."

"Is that what you believe?"

Caroline hesitated, but didn't turn to face him. "You don't care for my feelings and you have none yourself. I will keep my end of the bargain. I want to live. But I will not let you take anything else from me."

Instead, she gave away pieces of herself.

In her bedroom, the hard line of him pressed close - his mouth open against hers, the soft seduction of his tongue, hot and slick against her own. Her day skirts and petticoats were useless barriers against the heat of him; he stripped her bare with his hands in the privacy of her room just as easily as he had with his eyes in public. There were no explanations, no soft words as he burned her alive from the inside out, his body branding hers as Klaus took and took until she was boneless.

She'd reached for the shame as he softened inside her, the guilt that should have mingled with horror as he angled her neck; fangs piercing her skin as the monster buried inside her groaned at her taste. But all she knew was a languorous greed as she felt him harden, the hard length of his erection pressing against tender muscles as his body thrust into her. That possessive, determined grip on her hair and breast as he drove her towards that nameless breaking, that terrible and wonderful heaven that numbed her to everything but him.

He spoke only when she was spent, body limp and pliant under her sheets, cold from the loss of his skin. Lips against her temple, he'd laughed at her noise of protest.

"Death is not always an ending, little love."

Caroline hadn't known if it was a threat or a promise, but something terrible sat in her chest. A knowing that whatever she'd been before - they'd changed it. Oh, he was careful with the outside world, his pretty words and gentle manners for Katerina. But he showed her his teeth and horrors, cradled her against his chest and carried her under his skin.

Caroline wished fervently that she'd hated it.

She wanted to say that her body didn't burn for him. That in the secrets of her room, she didn't slide her hands under the long cotton of her nightdress, didn't shamefully explore what he'd shown her her body was capable of feeling. The memory of him left her pressing into her mattress with hitching breaths and muffled moans.

She kept waiting for the repercussions that never came. No servant talked, no rumor caught her desperate ears. Tyler suspected nothing - knew nothing of her body's awakening, of the game she played with the devil.

Then it… fell apart.

Tyler slipped.

He confessed his double dealings. Promised her it would all be over soon. Caroline was stunned - one monster did not replace another. Worse, she'd discovered she… cared. She didn't know if she liked who Klaus was or the monster under his skin; but she was incapable of the betrayal Tyler spoke of - even if she'd committed a worse betrayal and let Klaus into her bed, slept with his skin feverish against hers.

But as she stared at Tyler, she realized that it wasn't Klaus she feared. The monster whose teeth bit into her throat was the same man who left her books on travel. Who listened when he finally coaxed her into discussing what she wanted from life.

Klaus wrecked her. He shook her faith, destroyed her beliefs and left her craving his gilded tongue, his artist's hands. And Caroline feared in the depths of her ruined heart that he'd done it on purpose.

A back up plan.

A pleasurable destruction.

Beautiful bait.

Standing before Tyler, she hadn't cried. Hadn't shaken from her epiphany, the knowledge of how thoroughly Klaus had ruined her. Instead she'd nodded, played along and planned.

Three days later she'd left Klaus a letter with everything she knew about Tyler and Mikael's plotting. Then she'd quietly, carefully escaped from the city - heading to an estate that few would know her connection to and simply waited.

If Klaus won - he'd leave. Take his sister, the brother she'd heard him mention and reign his terror across the continent. Perhaps the Americas.

If he lost, in a few weeks, she'd face the consequences - likely her death. Tyler would not forgive her betrayal, nor would the creature who hunted its own son. In the end, she'd condemned herself, but it offered some peace. For the first time in her life, she'd made the choice she could live with.

"Did you expect that I would not find you?"

Caroline turned, faced the door to her borrowed bedroom in shock. Klaus stood there, loomed at her from the doorway in a simple pair of breeches and workman's shirt. She felt her heart skip, torn between delight and alarm.

"If you lived, I did not expect you to try," Caroline said finally, brows tucked together. "I assume whatever ritual you needed was completed?"

His eyes bled yellow, a double set of fangs dropping down and her stomach leapt into her throat. Klaus smiled at her, stalked into the room. "Mikael is dead. As is your ex-betrothed and the precious Katerina."

Caroline nodded, wondered how harshly her soul was to be judged for her part. "Do now you have to tie the loose ends?"

Klaus reached for the end of her braid, tugged lightly at her hair. "Do you remember what I promised you?"

"That if I spoke about what you were, if I ran from you - you'd eat everyone I cared about before you came for me."

"Good."

Her back hit her mattress suddenly; the hem of her nightclothes, her robe shoved up past her hips and the hot stroke of his tongue against her most private area left her in shock. Hands nearly bruising on her thighs, he licked at her with rough, velvet strokes of his tongue until she cried out, until her hands fisted in his hair and her hips rolled helplessly against his lips.

Until she broke apart, body arching in supplication. Klaus lifted his head, hands smoothing down her trembling thighs until the worst of her tremors eased. Watching her from heavy eyes, he worked on loosening the ties of his shirt.

"I killed my father."

His shirt hit the floor, and Klaus worked sharply at his pants. "I broke my curse."

Naked, he crawled back to her body and shredded her gown, eyes sliding down her unfashionable slimness, the softness of her skin. "And free for the first time in five hundred years, all I can think of is a human girl - a breakable with a spine of steel. And all I can imagine is your death - how time will sink into the mortality of your bones, hollowing you out a little at a time."

"Will you kill me then?"

He kissed her breast, sucked her nipple with his mouth, rolled her flesh against his tongue until she cried out, nails clawing at his back. Klaus gave her no mercy, merely switching sides until she was begging, body clinging to his. Then he spread her open, and sheathed himself inside her with a hard thrust. Caroline sobbed for air, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"Yes," Klaus said into her ear as he began to move, each stroke of his erection drawing a cry from her throat. "I will kill you. But first I'm going to drink - take my little human Caroline's blood. And when you're coming around my cock, I'm going to give you mine."

Caroline tossed her head, her unraveling braid a wild mess on her pillow. He laughed, kissed her jaw. "No? Being a vampire will suit your fierceness, my love."

And she opened her eyes to hold his gaze, saw the crawling death of his wolf and vampire in his eyes, hunting her. But behind the predator was the expression that made her heart pound. That touch of softness, that admiration he'd shown so unwillingly when she would not bend.

 _I will not let you go_ , his eyes told her. _Time and death cannot have you. I'm stronger than both._

He bit her throat, the sharp pain of it so much more than before. She could feel the heat of her blood spilling down her back, sliding to her breasts as he took greedy mouthfuls. The pain burned but somehow, it made the pleasure more, dug into her bones and left her desperate.

Klaus lifted his head, bit at his wrist with his bloody mouth as she started to tremble around him, her eyes unfocused from the pleasure and blood loss. His blood spilled hot between her lips as pleasure engulfed her; left her chest warm as he shuddered between her thighs; thrusts stilling as she watched him with heavy lashes.

Slowly, touch tender, he brushed the blood away from her lips - licked his hand clean. Just as slowly, everything about him gentle as she watched him from the daze of her afterglow, he tangled his hands in her hair, and smiled his monster's smile.

"The things I'll show you."

Caroline felt the world wrench; died from a broken neck.

She woke hours later - a maid between her teeth, Klaus's lips at her ear, and his fingers stroking the wet heat of her.

"Welcome to death, little love."

* * *

 ** _Please Comment_**


	19. A Hybrid Bargain

Anonymous asked: If you're still looking for drabbles to possibly try you could maybe do something based on the off-screen scene we never got to see - Caroline bargaining with Klaus for one of his hybrids for Jeremy to kill so they could lift the Hunter's Curse from Elena. Could either follow canon in that the trade is a date for a hybrid or AU where Klaus wants something else.

* * *

 **Part One**

"What do you want?"

His fingertips glided across her collarbones, touch featherlight. Spine perfectly straight, Caroline stared at Klaus, refusing to flinch. The slow, curling smile made her insides jump.

"You're asking for a life, pretty Caroline." He hummed, pupils dark. "What would you give?"

She frowned at him, ignored the patterns he was drawing on her skin. Barely. "Within reason? What do you want?"

A flicker of lashes, and the dark of his eyes threatened to swallow her. "I want your time."

"My time?"

"Hmmm, let's call it a date."

She eye'd him, expression wary. "That's it?"

"I want your arousal on my tongue." He stroked his fingers down to the collar of her shirt, glided them back to the base of her throat. "I want you spread out like a banquet, lush and wet."

Caroline stared at him, blush crawling up her throat into her cheeks. "What?"

His dimples dug deep into his cheeks. "Did you imagine I'd ask for your lips along my cock? Oh, it's tempting. I do love your mouth, sweetheart. But if you want something of mine, I want something of yours."

"And you get what out of this?" Caroline managed, voice strangled.

"A piece of you," Klaus leaned back, smiled. "The knowledge that every time you look at me, you'll think of this. My mouth between your thighs, the way I made you feel as you came - the memory of your voice begging. Because I can make you beg, Caroline. Has any of your teenage lovers managed that yet? Have they stroked and petted until you burn, until you writhed along fingers and tongue, desperate for release?"

Caroline swallowed. Tried to calm her heartbeat, and failed. His eyes glittered at her, knowing as he traced her blush with his fingertips.

"I want under your skin. Tell me, how badly do you want my hybrid, love?"

* * *

 **Part Two**

"Yes or no, Caroline?"

Sucking in a breath, Caroline angled her chin, eyes narrowed. "Don't bully me."

Klaus laughed, the low noise brushing awareness down her spine. "I assure you, love, that isn't my intention. But my offer isn't limitless."

Licking dry lips, she stared at Klaus, who watched her with the slight smile, that glittering gaze. Everything about him exuded confidence - and God help her, she was curious. Part of it was the danger, she ran the risk of it this being really good, of Klaus lingering in the back of her mind for years. But the draw… the most powerful creature in the world wanted to go down on her. Klaus thought that the opportunity to give her a single climax was worth the life of a hybrid. A creature he'd been striving to create for at least the past five hundred years.

"Fine," Caroline ground out; heart pounding as his smile widened. She chewed on her lower lip as he immediately stepped into her personal space, lowering his head so his forehead nearly touched hers.

"Good."

Caroline gasped as he settled her on the edge of the dining room table, her legs bracketing his thighs. Klaus braced his arms on either side of her; that sinful mouth so close to hers.

"This is the dining room," Caroline choked out. "Klaus!"

"A house full of vampires, Caroline - they'll hear your cries regardless. Or is it the open space, that slight thrill that we might be seen that alarms you? That one of your friends might witness you splayed out before me like the delicious offering you are and your body mine to worship?" He ran his eyes down her body, lingered on her breasts. "Would you prefer the bedroom, where I can lay you on silk sheets? I confess, the temptation to drive my cock into you, watch you beg for each thrust is enough to break a man. But we have a deal. One orgasm for my hybrid."

Caroline ground her teeth, tried to ignore how easily she could picture his words. How tightly her core clenched at the thought of his cock. Glaring at him, that greedy smile, she almost choked on her next words, but gritted them out anyway. They had a deal.

"And the date."

His smile widened, dimples cutting into his cheeks, smile somehow boyish and temptation at the same time. "How I look forward to it."

"Great," Caroline said tightly.

"Good." He kissed along her jaw, the unexpected brush of his tongue causing her to inhale sharply. "But you need to relax for this part of our bargain."

Caroline pulled away, let her eyes narrow. "Oh yeah, relax."

Klaus nipped her lower lip, laved at the sting until her lips parted. Lifting his head, Klaus _tsked_. "Sweetheart, fighting yourself will make this pointless; I can smell your arousal, and I'll wring every drop of pleasure I can from your tight, little body. Why not let yourself enjoy it? Unless of course, that's what your concerned about. Afraid I'll crawl through your veins like a drug?"

"You're about to put your hybrid teeth a lot closer to my skin than I'm comfortable with," Caroline said tartly. "Much less the rest of me."

"I'd offer you blood, but the only reason I want you warm and pliant is from my tongue," Klaus murmured. His hands lifted, cupped her face. "Such a grumpy face, little love. How terrible your past lovers must have been."

Eyes flashing, she parted her lips to snarl back, but then his mouth was pressed against hers. His hands shifted to her hair, moving gently against her scalp while his lips courted hers. Soft bites, and hot flicks of his tongue, until her mouth was open beneath his - until her shoulders were loose, chest flushed and her breasts heavy.

"It'd be so easy to pull down the collar of this dress, to lick and suck at these pretty breasts of yours," Klaus murmured between his kisses; hands sliding down her neck, pausing to massage her chest through her bra. "But let's leave us both something to fantasize about."

He kissed her throat instead, licked a hot line to her shoulder. Caroline moaned, hardly registering the way he guided her to lay flat - the wood cool through her clothing. Klaus laved at her collarbones, smoothed his hands over her hips. Tugged her hips closer to him.

Straightening, he ran a hand down her calve, brushed a kiss across the inside of her knee; her breath hitched in her chest as his gaze moved back to hers. Tongue flicking along his upper lip, he hooked one of her knees over his shoulder, and his hands spread her open.

The table put her at his waist, the angle of her leg hitching her ass into the air. She felt the blush staining her cheeks, pressed her hands flat against the wood to still the urge to bolt. The way he was looking at her - the pit behind his eyes, swallowing her - left her nervous, nerves jumping as one finger trailed down the length of her bare leg.

"Hands on the edge of the table, love," Klaus said, voice rough. The order startled her, as did the wash of heat. Lip sliding between her teeth, she did as he asked - fingers curling around the smooth edge of the wood.

"Why?"

Klaus smiled, dropping a few quick, blistering kisses along her inner thigh. "I want your hands were I can see them, sweetheart; as tempting as it would be to let you touch and play with your breasts, your orgasm is mine to give. No need to hurry this along, when we both know you'll try to forget this happened."

Caroline met his eyes, refused to flinch from the razors edge behind them. "Do you blame me?"

Lips curling, Klaus laughed lowly, braced her other leg over the curve of his shoulder, dug his fingers into the curve of her ass. Caroline's legs tightened around him, her breath catching and he dimpled.

"Oh Caroline, I don't blame you. I just don't plan on letting you erase me so easily." Klaus took a slow breath, lashes flickering in pleasure as he breathed her in. "Do you think I haven't noticed your unease? The nervous flexing of your hands, the rapid beat of your heart? I arouse you, incite feelings you don't want to acknowledge and now, you're laid out before me as I want you - _vulnerable_."

"Klaus…" Her voice was tight, lips pursed and he grinned.

"Admit it love, you love the power of this; knowing that it was your choice to let me touch you - that you can end it just as easily. The monster that terrifies your so-called-friends witless, and I'm hard as a iron thinking about your taste on my tongue."

Caroline sucked in a breath as her dress suddenly fluttered around her abdomen; the scraps of her panties landing softly on the floor. She was bare, open to his devouring gaze. Tongue swiping across his lips, Klaus ran his hands down her thighs.

"Look how pretty you are, Caroline." Klaus said roughly. "With your breasts heaving, your lips swollen from my kisses. Do you feel how wet you are for me?"

He bent and licked along her wet folds; a deep, pleased noise vibrating against her clit and she jumped, surprised at the flash of sensation. Klaus lifted his head, mouth wet and eyes hybrid gold. "Don't worry about the table, love."

Brows tucking together, she choked on the question building in her throat as Klaus lifted her hips to his mouth - the stroke of his tongue broad and wet. The noise she made was strangled, spine melting back into the table, hands flexing against wood. Klaus made another of those low, hungry noises and Caroline couldn't help the flex of her heels into his spine.

Deft, quick flicks along her slit, his tongue sliding along jumping nerves; his mouth moved so slowly, alternating pressure until her chest heaved, bottom lip tucked tightly between her teeth. But it wasn't until she choked off a moan, stifled the whine building in her throat that he paused. Klaus looked up, both brows arched and clucked his nimble tongue. Caroline lifted her head at the pause, tried to catch her breath.

"Now, none of that Caroline," Klaus chided, eyes burning as they looked at her. "You want to come; I want to hear you."

Hazy eyes narrowed, her cheeks flushed pink. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't the deal."

Klaus laughed against the skin of her thigh, scrapped teeth down the sensitive inner curve. "No - I promised you one hybrid in exchange for an orgasm; conveyed my need to crawl under your skin, to burn hot through those elusive corners of your agile mind."

"But what does that have to do with…" Her words cut off as his grip on her ass changed, right hand lifting to spread her open. His lashes lowered, the thin band of blue and gold leaving her silent.

"Oh sweetheart - how much you have to learn."

There was no more teasing, no slow exploration with his mouth. Each stroke was precise, sliding along nerves and slick flesh, the pleasure of it leaving her inarticulate. High, broken whines - her voice rising in tone and pitch as he very deliberately drove her to the brink of climax; left her desperate. Caroline had no control of her body, hips rolling - the crack of wood under palms - the sobbing moans of his name. He kept her straining until she thought she'd fall apart, until the edge became almost painful.

Then the wicked slid of his tongue against her clit, the push of his fingers into her clenching heat and Caroline broke. Her orgasm crashed over her in a sudden, demanding wave - voice a scream, hips grinding against the rough slide of his tongue. He kept the pressure firm until she collapsed, body trembling as his fingers slid free, her dress clinging to sweat damp skin; utterly wrecked, Caroline could only moan at the delicate kisses against her thigh.

"Caroline," Klaus said, voice ragged. "Tell me to walk away."

Lashes heavy, she glanced at him, heart still thudding in her chest. Limp, body languid and draped over his shoulders, her pulse jumped at the expression on his face. The lust and need that watched her from feral eyes, hands kneading the back of her thighs. Caroline shuddered, abdomen clenching tightly as his fingers dug in.

"Sweetheart," his tone was like iron, cheekbones sharp over the scruff of his beard. "If you keep making that soft little noise, I'm going to slide my fingers back inside the hot clamp of your body and finger fuck you until you beg for my cock."

Caroline shut her eyes, sucked in a breath and tried very hard not to moan at the image his words gave her. The flex of his fingers, the low hiss of his breath told her she didn't quite succeed. Her body was burning for round two, limbs somehow so completely sated and still desperate. But while her libido was clambering for more, hotter sex - how exactly could they break this table? - her mind was shrieking a warning. This wasn't what she'd agreed to and sex with Klaus, the hot and sweaty kind that ended with her raw and boneless would be opening a door that she'd no idea how to handle.

"Let go." Caroline managed, voice still rough from her cries. The shoulders under her thighs shuddered, but he did as she asked and let her legs drop; helped her sit up with possessive hands. Only then did Caroline open her eyes.

He looked wrecked - lips damp, face flushed, his erection a hard bulge that was less that a fingertip away from her greedy hands. This was supposed to be his chance to wreck her, crawl under her skin - show her what she was missing. Looking at him, Caroline wasn't certain who'd ruined who. It was the only explanation for why she cupped the hard line of his jaw between her palms. Pressed her mouth softly against his, lingered with gentle lips and careful hands before pulling back.

"We have a deal. Let go." Caroline said as firmly as she could, struggling not to lean back in, seek his tongue with hers. Klaus did so silently, every part of him tense as she collected the scraps of her panties. Straightening, she headed for the door.

"I'll let the others know to expect your hybrid."

"I'm fairly certain he's your hybrid now," Klaus drawled, the rough edges of his voice smoothing into something darker. Caroline glanced over her shoulder, watched him from behind wild curls.

"Whatever," she dismissed, "just send him."

"Our date?" He demanded, taking a single step towards her. Caroline pursed her lips, tried to ignore the anticipation that stroked down her spine.

"I suppose we'll have to see."

"It is not safe to taunt the beast, love." Klaus warned, dimples bracketing the slow curve of his smile. "Not when you've screamed my name."

Unwilling to dignify that with a response when she knew her cheeks were burning, Caroline flashed out of the house. Refusing to pause until she reached her room, and she leaned against her door and shuddered.

The problem was she wanted to tempt him, taunt that iron control he'd used to let her walk away. Slid her tongue along parts of him until she wrecked him with the same orgasm he'd given her. Sinking to the floor, she covered her face and let the impact of what had just happened wash over her.

Because tomorrow, she'd have to pretend it never happened, that this bargain was for a date only. But right then, she didn't have to hide her smile, the flush of her skin. Rolling to her feet, she headed to her shower - lingering arousal required more than a bedroom door between her and everything else.

Because, damn him, she would fantasize.

But not after tonight.

She couldn't.

* * *

 _ **Please Comment**_


	20. Burn for Me

_Anonymous said: For day 6 of Klaroweek, Klaus as a king and Caroline as the lady engaged to his rival please ?_ vv

I know you asked for the AU day, but pretty much I've been writing an AU week. Also, I'm just going to apologize for the dragons. Sort of apologize for the dragons. lynyrdwrites here you go.

* * *

 **Part One**

Ambassador Caroline Forbes was fifteen feet from her carriage when the world rumbled. Her carriage shook on its wheels, and she hesitated. Glancing about the wide courtyard, she nearly stumbled at what had been the open gate.

There was a dragon blocking her exit.

She stared at it, the rich ebony scales gleaming in the early morning light. The dragon turned its head and one giant, golden eye larger than her body watched her from a narrow pupil. The scent of ash and heat filled the air as the dragon yawned. Large, gleaming teeth the color of bone were on full display.

The courtyard was frozen.

Beyond that serpentine head was a body that could reach sixty feet, depending on age. Impressive. Beautiful. Dangerous.

"Kol likes to show off."

The low, accented voice cut into the silence and it was only years of diplomatic training that kept her shoulders from tightening. Kept her from bolting for the carriage that clearly wouldn't be leaving regardless.

"He's beautiful," Caroline said without turning her head. "Is there a particular reason he's blocking my departure?"

Klaus stepped into her line of vision, watched her from eyes gone dragon - the human blue buried under a shade of old gold. His cheekbones were sharp, angled over a tightly clenched jaw covered in scruff. Her mouth ran dry, a band wrapping tightly over her lungs, but she refused to flinch.

The skin under her wristband burned.

Niklaus, The Great Hoarder, King of the Dragons. Klaus, the scourge of her people, who ruled the great mountains to the North and East. His magic ran under her skin, had dug into bone and bled like ink over the pulse point of her left wrist. It burned like betrayal, like hope.

She could embrace neither.

"I don't believe we've been introduced."

Caroline finally looked away from the nightmare creature that she wanted to touch, and faced the one she couldn't. Clasping her hands together, she gave Klaus the Dragon her most polite smile.

"That's because my betrothed's lands are at war with yours," Caroline said simply.

Klaus tilted his head, the move oddly graceful and he stepped closer. She held her ground, arched a single brow as he dragged his eyes down her; the heat of his gaze nearly a touch, lingering at the pulse point in her throat. "Betrothed."

"Surely, you know of the ceremony in two months' time, since both our lands border yours," Caroline said serenely, ignoring the burning in her blood.

The dragon at the gate yawned.

"I'm afraid that will have to be cancelled."

Lashes narrowing, Caroline let her smile become less polite. "Are you abducting me?"

Klaus snorted, stepping close enough to touch. "It's not abducting when you're already mine."

"Well, I beg to differ," Caroline responded tightly. "I am not yours."

He bent close, skin carrying the lingering scent of fire, body warm enough that she could feel him even inches from her. His eyes had paled to wheat, threads of darker bronze the only true color. "You carry dragon gold on your skin. I can smell it."

"What you smell is the obnoxious breath of your brother," Caroline said through her smile. "Surely you'd have noticed if you'd marked someone."

"We can set the courtyard on fire," Klaus drawled, not quiet touching her. Dragon magic offered immunity to fire, and with what blazed under her skin, had cut through her magical defenses and sank into her blood she doubted dragon fire would singe an eyelash.

"Then you'd better hope you're wrong and I die," Caroline said coolly. "Because if I live and a single hair is harmed on anyone's head because of this nonsense, I'll hunt you, gut you and mount your over-sized reptilian head on my future castle's gate."

His smile widened, teeth gleaming - those unnecessary dimples tempting her. "A declaration of war, little love?"

"Ask your brother to move."

"No."

"And why is that?"

"Because somewhere among the cream of your skin my magic has marked you. It's crawling through your veins, glimmering in soft flecks and it calls to me. Fate and magic have marked you as mine, and no betrothal, no human contract can contest that. Even your Lockwood must bend to the old magics, sweetheart."

"First, I am not your sweetheart." Caroline said firmly. "Second… what are you doing?"

His fingers were warm around her wrist. The texture of his skin was slightly abrasive against hers but the long, hot stroke of Klaus' tongue had her breath hitching in her throat. Staring at him as he breathed against her skin, she clenched her free hand.

"What are you doing?" Her question ground out a second time.

"Hunting."

"Go hunt somewhere else."

"Gladly."

He licked up the line of her arm, lingered at the crook of her elbow. Caroline could feel his magic stirring in her blood, and she struggled to keep it from glimmering on her skin. She'd known the moment she felt him in her blood that forcing him out was impossible - dragon magic was stubborn and it did not release lightly what it had taken. What she needed was space, some distance between them to cleanse herself.

So she'd trapped his power in muscle and tendon, created a barrier with her magic that would pass a surface test; immediately made plans to leave. It hurt, knowing that she was abandoning this - this creature who was beautiful and terrible, for the mundane life her father had chosen. But the contracts were important to her people and a dragon with a wicked tongue wouldn't change that.

"You've licked up my arm, in public," Caroline finally managed, voice strained. "Now that you've thoroughly wrecked my reputation, let go."

"Do you know what Dragon Gold is Ambassador Forbes?" Klaus murmured, eyes lifting from her bicep, gaze feral, his strange pupils wide with want.

"Physical manifestations of a binding between a dragon and its mate." She gave him a cool, unimpressed look. "Magic, for want of better word."

His cheeks creased. "Very good."

"But since I am betrothed, and there seems to be a very distinctive lack of gold on the arm you just mauled, let go." She forced herself to stare coldly at him. Five years ago she would've hauled his mouth to hers, tangled her fingers in those wild curls and kissed him until he melted.

But this was now.

Her final stint as Ambassador Forbes was done, the mantle of Princess heavy. She wouldn't have even still been here if it hadn't been for the uncertainty of the passes. Attending the formal dinner last night had been courtesy only, a wish to avoid insulting her hosts. She'd have plead a headache had she known that the dragons would be attending; if she'd only known that this one was prowling with his magic wide open, hunting. Tyler would never forgive this, could rain war down on her people.

She couldn't allow that.

"Really sweetheart, mauled?"

"I will not ask you to release me a third time."

He kissed her palm, licked the pad of her thumb and laughed. "Or what? We both know you've got all your precious human magic caught up in binding what courses through your veins. That was cleverly done. You nearly slipped my grasp - but that would have been only a momentary fix, little love."

"You do not want me as your enemy."

"I want you naked in my bed, golden light turning your skin luminescent. I want your hair across my pillow, the heavy silk of it around my fingers." Klaus canted his head. "But I digress. I did not expect to find you here - a thousand years have I flown alone, Caroline. You are an unexpected gift."

Her soul hurt. She could feel the truth of his words and the steel, the iron she'd need to repudiate him did not sit on her tongue. Swallowing heavily, she tried to speak - to deny him, but his hot fingertips pressed against her lips.

"I will lick along every inch of you, taste the salt of your skin, until I find the crack in your defenses." Klaus murmured, fingers stroking along her throat. "I've been told an orgasm works best - watch the cream of your skin flush gold; the soft, delicate swirls of claiming run beneath your skin."

"Now you're being inappropriate on purpose," Caroline said lowly. Her expression didn't alter but the rest of her heated, the flush of arousal would hopefully be confused for her growing temper. But the sinful, lazy smile as he breathed deep told her Klaus, at least, knew the effect he was having.

"I smelled you first, the lushness of your skin, that tantalizing mix of honey and woman," Klaus told her, fingers gentle as he pushed a loose curl behind her ear, stroked her pink cheek. "But I could not find you among the guests - you must have slipped out the moment my magic breached your defenses, mingled along the lines of your soul. Did you sleep last night, little love? I've been told the magic binding can be painful. If you'd come to me, I'd have eased the heat of it, stroked the lines of you until you purred."

Caroline refused to acknowledge his words, the burning low in her stomach. Lack of sleep had little to do with the edge of her temper - an evening spent trying to slow his magic from sinking into her marrow. She still didn't know how he'd gotten through her defenses in the first place.

"I've no interest in your fantasies," Caroline said primly, even as her body told a different story. _Lie. Lie. Lie._ Every part of her hummed at the thought of him stroking her with hands and tongue, struggled not to imagine how warm his skin burned; his dragon-fire contained by human flesh and bone.

"My guard and I have been delayed long enough."

"Where are your guards?" Klaus asked, gaze scanning the courtyard with narrowed eyes.

"There is a dragon in the gateway. I prefer them to use their common sense and watched from a safe distance." Caroline told him, exasperated.

Klaus stilled. "You mean that."

"Of course I mean that," Caroline said. "There is no use in them dying because you want to prove some misplaced point."

"You're lucky this will not be an issue going forward." Klaus said firmly, stepping into her space. "Caroline - do you think for a moment that I could not change shape, take you with me by wing and claw?"

"If you think for a single moment that I'm going anywhere with you…"

His mouth was so hot, branding hers; those long fingered hands cradling her jaw as the rough stroke of his tongue against the seam of her lips almost broke her. She felt his magic push hard against hers and Caroline shoved him away; staggered out of his arms with a heaving chest, magic holding by tenterhooks. She bared her teeth when he tried to reach for her.

"You will stop this madness at once."

"You're mine." Klaus said determinedly, tongue snaking across his lips.

"I belong to me," Caroline growled, straightening her dress. "But I choose to serve my people, and I have willingly chosen to enter into marriage with my betrothed. This insanity of yours ends now."

She couldn't let him touch her again. Her magic was paper thin now, and she struggled not to reach for him. To stroke along the rough velvet of his tongue with hers, to challenge him until he followed through that threat. What did he look like as a dragon? Was he as dark as his brother with the faintest touch of blue to his scales?

Klaus' cheekbones were stark, the force of his temper shimmered visibly in the air between them. "No."

"Yes."

"And what? You return to your people? My magic runs in your veins."

"Allegedly," Caroline replied icily.

"You will not age." Klaus ground out. "Your life is now tied to mine. Time no longer pulls at your bones. I should let you leave, return to this useless human who does not guard the treasure he has been given - but I will not. Dragon magic is as territorial as I am, little love. It will let no other touch you, will let no other magic claim you. How long until your suitor casts you aside, when the fire running through your veins no longer lets you near him?"

Caroline took a step back, face pale. He stalked forward, the fury behind his gaze turning the courtyard blistering. She forced herself to hold her ground, even as she started to sweat.

"Release the bindings, Caroline."

She said nothing, even as he stood close enough for their clothing to touch. He hissed out a sound - steam against rock - and curled his hands into fists. But she would not bend. This wasn't about her - her life had never been that forgiving.

"And if I offered you a bargain?"

Caroline eyed him warily. "What kind of bargain."

"I will call off the feud your betrothed instigated, by hunting my family and the attempted murder of my brother." Klaus said tightly. "For you."

Caroline froze.

"I'll provide your people with the mages they will lose should the Lockwood family break contract due to your refusal to marry," he lifted a hand, smoothed her hair with careful fingertips. "Which I would have done regardless, Caroline."

Caroline licked her lips. "Why?"

"Release your magic, sweetheart, and see."

Caroline stared at the alien eyes watching her, the predator who knew he'd found a chink in her armor. Who was waiting her out - he wasn't forcing, for all his gritted threats. Klaus wanted her to come to him.

A thousand years he said. A thousand years to fly alone. Caroline caught her lower lip between her teeth, wondered at the loneliness - at the faith he must have wrestled with for magic to pair him with someone. His self-control at her continued denials.

So, did she trust the magic that ran beneath their skin? Did she believe in fate? More importantly, did she trust this dragon when he promised to defend her people?

"I know about the hoarding." Caroline said softly, voice rough.

Klaus leaned into her personal space, dimples bracketing a smile made of sin. "Nothing I've found is more precious than you."

Caroline scowled, lowered her lashes to glare. "If you're correct, I won't be hoarded."

"All the time," Klaus corrected, thumb lifting to stroke across her wet bottom lip. "I will hoard you - your laugh, your scent, you smiles; the lushness of your skin sprawled across silk sheets. But I can be coaxed into sharing, with the right incentive. Drop your magic, Caroline."

"So sure," Caroline said quietly.

"Yes."

Caroline dropped her magic. Released the barrier that was so thin. The pressure behind her eyes disappeared, and the feel of his magic moving through her left her flushed. Klaus closed his eyes, chest moving as he breathed her in. She watched in surprise as he shuddered, eyes opening slowly to run over her again.

He said nothing as his gaze stilled on her left wrist. Steady fingers removed the heavy cuff, and then his fingertips smoothed across skin stained gold in a delicate pattern. She bit her lip at the unexpected sensation, the way she could feel his magic shift across her skin. Something incandescent flashed across his eyes; her stomach flipped as he brought her wrist to his mouth, tongue licking across the mark.

Her blood started to burn for reasons that had nothing to do with magic. Klaus licked again, a rough stroke of his tongue and Caroline shivered.

"Every inch of you," Klaus reminded her, voice hardly more than a growl. "Until every part of you is golden."

She knew she was blushing, cheeks hot. She opened her mouth to growl a response when she realized the shimmering heat around them had shifted to true flame - sparks dancing around them like fireflies. They drifted into her pinned curls, brushed against skin, and all she felt was a lingering warmth.

"I told you - you're mine."

Caroline scoffed. "And I told you, you don't want me for an enemy."

Klaus laughed and Kol lifted his magnificent head, wings lifting to spread wide. Warm, possessive lips brushed her ear as Klaus leaned close.

"Welcome to my family, Caroline Forbes." He pressed against her hair and laughed again, the sound… happy.

"You're not scared of heights, are you, love?"

* * *

 **Part Two**

Caroline woke tucked comfortably into a bed she had no recollection of being put into. For all that Klaus had glowered, fingers curled through her own, it had taken time to put everything together to leave. She was packed, but there were letters to be written; a hasty note to her mother and the more formal missive to her father. By the time they had finished all the little necessary arrangements, she'd started to flag.

She been trying to issue her last set of instructions when Klaus had swept her off her feet. She stared at his throat for a long second as he'd determinedly marched away from the scribes and ministers behind them.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I've decided abduction was the better option after all," Klaus murmured, ignoring the clamoring. "Did you sleep at all last night, Caroline?"

She ignored his question, since she was fairly sure they both knew the answer. Even if her bones hadn't ached with the sudden infusion of foreign magic, keeping that magic contained required her to be constantly aware. "Is this what I have to look forward to? Being carted around like a sack of potatoes?"

His chin lowered and one brow arched. "Apparently I have an eternity to enjoy your unnecessary stubbornness, love. I look forward to being able to deposit you in the hot springs or the bed, but I'll settle for getting you into the carriage."

She'd been unable to push back the entirety of her blush. Klaus' tone had made it abundantly clear what he meant, and she scowled at the implication that she was so easily removed from her duties. Caroline opened her mouth to make it bitingly clear what he would not be doing, and paused. She actually wasn't sure what her new role would be, but it was clear that he intended for her to help manage something if he'd have to bodily remove her from them.

"I think you'll find that more difficult than you believe," Caroline said instead.

Klaus' lips quirked. "Of that I have no doubt."

Being settled into the carriage was not what she expected. Caroline was surprised into silence when he sprawled longways across what was clearly a sleeping carriage, arranging her neatly so that she was using him as a pillow. She had a moment to worry about crushing her skirts and the undignified way she was sprawled when his hands smoothed on the back of her neck; tangled in her hair.

"Now, let's see if we can settle the magic enough that you can rest."

It'd been instinct to fight that first coil of magic, the sudden rush of dragon fire beneath her skin. Instinct to flinch away from those oddly rough fingertips brushing slowly up and down the back of her neck.

"So stubborn," Klaus murmured into her hair. "I've got you if you'll let me catch you, Caroline."

Caroline had never surrendered to anything in her life. But his magic was gold against her skin, the strength of him solid and she'd hunted for this her entire life. She'd settled for the duty of helping Tyler, because it was was what had been expected of her.

She didn't fear Klaus or his foreign magic, but the aching need for him that had bloomed the moment he breached her defenses. That he'd settle her wandering heart and realize it was a mistake. But those were a girl's fears and she'd stopped letting them haunt her. Slowly, deliberately she unlocked each muscle and let her exhausted magic release her automatic defenses.

Klaus said nothing, just washed the heat of his dragon across her senses, and he continued to drag his fingertips distractingly across her skin. His heartbeat was steady beneath her ear, and her lashes fluttered closed as the worst of the bone-ache eased. She only opened her eyes as the carriage rocked into motion, but that soon faded into the background as well.

She had no idea when she'd fallen asleep.

There was a warm, almost hot body pressed against her spine. Blinking the last of sleep from her eyes, she stayed relaxed and took stock of her situation. The room was open and airy, with an understated opulence that was oddly charming. Dusk had passed, the last glimmers of sunset barely visible through the wide windows that should have been impossible. Biting her lip in surprised delight, she carefully turned to face the dragon next to her.

He wasn't asleep.

His eyes were hooded by his gold tipped lashes, irises nearly colorless again except for those burning threads of copper and bronze. Heat washed through her at the expression behind his gaze, the want and need that tangled emotions in her chest. Licking her lips, she arched a brow at his silence.

"What, no snarky comment about finally having me in your bed?"

His mouth curled, the faintest hint of teeth visible behind his lips. "I think it's fairly obvious where you are, little love. Stating the obvious has gotten me nowhere with you yet. Did you rest well?"

Caroline studied him, the stunning good looks, the faintest hint of dimples. It would be so easy to keep her guard up, to cautiously explore what was burning between them. She might have accepted the claim his magic had made of her but that wasn't the exact same as accepting him.

She didn't want caution.

Reaching up, Caroline brushed her fingers along the hard line of his jaw. She let herself trace the curve of his cheekbone, the scruff of his beard. Finally, glancing at him from beneath her lashes, she brushed ever so lightly across his lips.

"I rested fine," Caroline murmured, voice low between them. "Thank you for that."

A flicker of his lashes, and Klaus made a low rumbling noise that Caroline found absolutely fascinating as her hand trailed down his' throat. She lowered her gaze, and repeated the lingering caress. She was rewarded with another of those rumbling sounds.

"Caroline," Klaus said roughly. She shivered at the tone, the way he all but growled her name. "Are you certain you wish to do that?"

"Why?" She asked, shifting so she was closer, mischief curling along her lips. Flicking her gaze back to his lightening filled gaze, she made a little disapproving noise. "You don't actually think I'm a virgin, do you?"

She waited for her words to hit, watched him blink before leaning in to taste the path her fingers had followed along his throat. Tongue flickering out, she hummed at the unexpected heat of his skin. She barely managed to playfully bite before she was rolled onto her back, a nearly subvocal growl vibrating between them.

His eyes burned a path down the sheer shift she usually wore under her dresses, the pink of her nipples nearly visible. She let him scorch her with his eyes, shivered when he rested his palm directly beneath her breasts.

"To be clear, I'm only concerned with who you will share you bed with going forward, Caroline. You're past lovers are of little consequence if you are no longer with them," Klaus said in firm tones. "Unless we need to discuss something in particular about those experiences, I'm only interested in your likes and dislikes."

"Thank you," she murmured. She tilted her head and considered him. "That's a surprising attitude. I believe it was still custom to offer the occasional virgin sacrifice to ward off your brethren a few hundred years ago."

Klaus bent and kissed below her collarbones, nipped lightly with his teeth. "A screaming, terrified woman in my bed has never held much appeal."

Caroline pursed her lips and hummed her agreement, threading her fingers through his hair. She gave a sigh of pleasure, dragging her nails lightly. "If I ever find such a situation, the mounting of your head on the gate is a promise I'll keep."

His eyes lifted, the same jealously that dug into her gut clear in his gaze. "I'm not much for sharing, sweetheart. The only woman languid and aroused I want in my bed is you. I fully intend to hoard you, until your skin glows with dragon gold, until the the marrow of your bones, the secret corners of your soul belong completely to me."

"Our magic may have decided we're compatible and I may have accepted your claim," Caroline warned him lowly. "But what you are demanding magic cannot give, Klaus."

"What fun would that be," Klaus chided as he moved his hand to cup her breast, tongue a hot stroke against her throat. Caroline moaned at the echoing flare of magic in her blood, the way she could feel the lingering heat of him against her skin after each stroke. "Oh no, little love. I will beguile and charm, coax and hoard all your secrets. Shall we start now? I'm most curious at what you're body will teach me."

Caroline knew she was flushed, arousal hot in her veins. Underneath her shift, she was already wet; the heat of him braced so temptingly between her thighs. She knew he was perfectly aware of the affect he had on her. His sense of smell, the magic running through her veins allowed her to hide nothing. Yet he waited, strange pupils wide, eyes nearly glowing.

"You do have a few promises to keep," Caroline challenged, even as something softened in her chest for this dragon. He wanted so badly, yet even here he did not take. Just as he waited for her surrender to his magic, he waited for her permission.

"So I do."

His kiss was slow, an almost delicate exploration of her lips and mouth. He kissed her until she gasped beneath him, until her eyes turned hazy and she moaned against the Pugh glide of his tongue. Her lips burned as he moved lower, painting her skin with little bites and the soothing stroke of his tongue, inflaming nerves before soothing them.

The soft sound of her shift tearing had her blinking down at his. "Really?"

"Fair warning," Klaus said roughly, eyes roving the newly bared skin; fingertips gliding as carefully across her abdomen as her breasts. "I'm less find of clothing in bed."

"I liked that shift."

"I like you naked."

"You can't destroy all my nightgowns," Caroline warned, tapping his chin as he ducked his head. Klaus smiled, dimples cutting deep.

"Why not? You have no need for modesty in my bed, and warmth isn't an issue either." Klaus licked her nipples, first one, then the other. "I want to feel the press of you while you sleep, your skin against mine."

She arched her back, shivered at the heat of his mouth and didn't try to stifle her moan as he made another of those subvocal sounds. She wanted that noise against her clit. "I might be persuaded."

He moved down her body slowly, every inch of skin touched by his mouth or fingertips. She was panting when he reached the crease of her hip, his hands spreading her thighs. He glanced up with his odd eyes, smile predatory in a way that made her stomach jump.

"How persuasive do you need?"

Was she supposed to be able to think when he was watching her like that? With her arousal a near painful ache, the nerves he'd stroked with tongue and magic still humming? Shivering as tongue swept along his bottom lip, she valiantly gathered her wits.

"Very."

Klaus dipped his head and licked. Eyes squeezing shut at the over-warm caress, she cried out as he did it again. He licked and sucked, chasing every little flinch, each jerk of a thigh muscle until she was incoherent. Tongue flicking back up to circle her clit, he rumbled against her and she came with a scream.

He dragged out her orgasm with long strokes of his tongue until she was tugging at his hair, air sobbing in her throat. He let her pull him up, her lips desperate against his. Klaus exchanged kisses until her pulse slowed, and then he bit down lightly, the sudden brush if his cock the only warning she had before he unexpectedly sheathed himself. Caroline gasped, clenching down and he groaned, the sound near inhuman.

"Pretty Caroline," Klaus rasped, skimming her cheeks, her closed kids with kisses. "All golden in my bed."

She curled her legs around his hips, dug her nails into the muscle of Klaus' back. "Move."

A sharp bite against her shoulder was a stunning counterpoint to his thrust. Air wasn't quite managing to fill her desperate lungs with each gasp; the unexpected difference of his skin's texture apparent with each slow movement of his hips. She clawed at his back, the slow pulse of magic in her veins matching his rhythm and she heard herself whine.

Caroline fleetingly embarrassed by how needy she sounded. But then he was rumbling against her, and she arched her breasts into chest to rub her nipples against that vibration. His hand slipped between them to rub against her clit and her orgasm hit her as the magic bloomed, washing her in fire and sensation as Klaus groaned out his own release.

She had no idea how long they laid there before she managed a soft, pleased noise. "That was fairly persuasive."

A hot exhale against her skin, what might have been a near soundless laugh. Klaus lifted his head, eyes slowly darkening to human blue. "Only fairly?"

She smiled, ran her greedy fingers through his hair. "You can try again later."

"I'd be delighted," Klaus all but rumbled, the faintest of yellow in his eyes. He traced her mouth, studied her. "The magic is settled, love."

"I noticed," Caroline shrugged. "It was going to be a pain to cleanse from my system anyway."

"Is this what I have to look forward to," Klaus teased, eyes filled with affection. "A lifetime of your sass?"

"Aren't you lucky?"

He brought her left wrist to his mouth, licked the dark gold of his mark and smiled. "I think we should see how well your sass hold out in the hot springs."

She blinked as he hauled her against him and started laughing. Kept laughing, until he dunked them both. Tomorrow, word might come if war, but she decided with her hands full of wet curls and Klaus' mouth against hers that she'd fight for this.

She was a terrible enemy to have, after all.

* * *

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(I stole this title from the book by Illona Andrews. It doesn't involve dragons, but its amazing.)


	21. Jealousy and Death

**Anonymous asked: Tiny drabble prompt - jealous Caroline, which maybe turns into a possessive Caroline and Klaus finds that maybe amusing or hot? I just love the idea of a jealous Caroline in juxtaposition to how indifferent she acted in all of the past seasons.**

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Hot fingertips dragged up the line of her abdomen, resting just below the curve of her breasts. She'd have jolted, but she knew those hands. Had been ignoring the burning of his gaze since she'd slipped back onto the dance floor, irritated. Klaus' breath was hot against her ear, and she shivered, the effect on her body unmistakeable without a bra.

"Caroline," he drawled, voice low and filled with gravel. Just her name, as his hand continued to skim the smooth, champagne silk of her dress. She huffed, turning to glance up at him from beneath her lashes. His eyes were dark, the faintest tinge of yellow on the edges the only true color.

"I don't like her." She didn't like the way the older vampire looked at him. Had touched him with familiarity. The way she'd dismissed Caroline, and had ignored Klaus' narrowed gaze. She wasn't worried that Klaus had any interest in the old acquaintance, but knowing didn't stop that surge of possessive jealousy.

The curve of his lips was possessive, hands trailing down her hips to strike the back of her thigh. "I'll eat her."

Caroline's lips curled in disgust, but she didn't move away from the press of his body. "I think she'd enjoy that."

Amusement rumbled in chest, and pulled her closer. Dipping his head, he ran his nose along the line of her neck, making an appreciative noise. A hot rasp of his tongue and she arched against him, nails biting into his ribs as her hands came up.

"You smell divine," Klaus rumbled. "Tell me, Caroline, are you wearing knickers?"

She rocked into him, swaying with the music. "No."

His head lifted and her thighs clenched at the look behind his eyes. Dipping his head, his lips brushing hers with each tantalizing word murmured. "Have I told you how much I like this look on you? All aroused and possessive?"

She scowled, cheeks warm, but his hand shifted beneath her dress, thumb stroking teasingly where she'd grown damp. Dancing always left her wanting to be touched, and Klaus could work her up just with the tone of his voice when he wanted to.

"Would you like to come just like this? My thumb working you, in the middle of this crowd? So that there is no mistake of where my interest lies? Perhaps you'll let me take you in one of the corners, after, so that your smell is all over me when I offer excuses?"

Caroline shuddered, hands tightening on his shirt as his thumb rotated in slow half-moons just above her clit. Panting, she pressed her breasts against his chest, his name a low gasp.

"Then later," he continued, voice soft and coaxing, the edge sending awareness down her spine as she rocked into his hand. "After I've left her in bloody pieces for displeasing you, I'll take you on your hands and knees, remind you why you're mine."

It was a struggle to string her words together as the tips of his fingers pushed inside her clenching walls. Breath hitching in her throat, she gasped out her reply. "Maybe I'll take you instead."

A hard press of his thumb against her clit, just as his fingers surged upwards and Caroline came with a short cry, body shuddering. Gaze hot, wolf clear in his eyes, Klaus brought his wet fingers to his mouth and blatantly sucked them clean.

"Oh, I hope you do."

* * *

 **livingdeadblondequeen asked: Prompt-'I thought they'd killed you, I lost my temper.'**

Caroline froze, at the sight of what had once been her apartment. Exhausted, bloodstained, and so thirsty her gums ached, her eyes went wide at the destruction of what had been her home, just hours before. She'd known that the witches who'd left her badly beaten and staked were dead when the spells trapping her had disappeared.

Those witches were scattered across her apartment, limbs strewn across the carpet. There was a head on her counter. Someone had died, bent in half and shoved into her oven. It hadn't been turned on.

Entrails hung from her ceiling fan.

In the middle of it was Klaus. Klaus, who she hadn't seen since he stripped her naked in a forest. He was frozen as he stared at her, eyes hybrid yellow, so utterly motionless she'd have thought it a hallucination except he was covered in blood.

She'd have imagined him naked, first.

Her next breath was shaky. She'd been teetering on a lack of control before she'd walked into a slaughter, and her vampire crawled along her skin with need. She was hungry, high off her adrenaline rush home, and blood was everywhere.

"They said they'd killed you," Klaus said tightly, every part of him rigid with strain as he took the smallest of steps towards her. "Caroline."

Her control snapped, at that jerky motion. Part of her acknowledged this was a potentially bad idea, but as her legs curled around his hips, tongue licking a line up his blood stained throat, she didn't care. When his hands came up to palm her ass, she ground down as her fangs pierced his throat. She didn't mind when he ripped away her filthy jeans, or the sudden press of his cock, greedy for all the sensations she could get.

Tomorrow, he could tell her why he was there while helping her find a new apartment.

Tonight, she needed him to _move_.

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	22. I'll Be Your Downfall

**Random Snippet # 18: I'll be Your Downfall**

Caroline froze, as she slipped the foyer of the mansion. Sometime during her argument with Klaus, her friends had all slipped away. Including Tyler. She was completely done with tonight and determined to leave.

The party was a noisy, vibrant clash of sound and color behind her. She blamed it for how easily Klaus caught her off guard, materializing as she headed for the door. Before she could say a word, he gripped her wrist and tugged her smoothly into an sitting room. He released her almost immediately, baring the edge of his teeth.

"Do you know how long it has been since I've allowed someone to talk to me in that way, Caroline?"

"Maybe that's your problem." She ground out once the door shut behind him. Her eyes jumped around the room, taking in the small sitting area. This was the third time she'd been cornered by Klaus that night and she didn't know how to read the blade in his smile, the glitter behind his eyes.

"I enjoy striking fear into my enemies," Klaus dismissed. "I enjoy watching hope drain from those who've crossed me, until they know that nothing but death can release them from the nightmare they've found themselves in."

"What do you want?" Caroline demanded, ignoring the way her mouth ran dry, fingers curled into her palms.

Klaus clasped his hand behind his back, studied her. "Tell me, Caroline, do you honestly believe that you are immune to being seduced? That you wish to be?"

She jolted, heart leaping into her throat at his tone. Swallowing hard, she moved to grip her skirts. "I'm not having this conversation with you."

His smile widened, eyes dark. "No? Come now, love. It occurred to me, as I watched you sweep away, my generosity thrown at my feet, that perhaps I've approached you from the wrong angle. I've attempted to be gentlemanly, but all that has gotten me is your scorn."

"You've tried to kill my friends," Caroline retorted, eyes narrowed. "And you think it's your _manners_ that I don't like?"

"Ah, but I've been most generous where you're concerned, have I not?" Klaus clucked his tongue, head canted to the side. "The problem with being taught vampirism by someone as abstemious as Stefan Salvatore is it puts you at a severe disadvantage, love."

"Stefan is my friend."

Klaus moved suddenly, until he was close enough that his body warmed the silk of her dress. Eyes widening in alarm, she froze as his fingers draped along the base of her throat. His touch was delicate, and her stomach flipped in surprise and the first stirring of true alarm.

"Stefan is a fool. A secret, sweetheart. Stifling your base desires, caging your monster doesn't stop your body from _wanting."_ Klaus bent his head, so close his breath ghosted hotly across her lips. "And I can smell every shift, every chemical reaction. The way your pulse jumps in your throat, the uneasy shift of muscle beneath your clothing, the decadent scent of your arousal."

Heat crawled up her throat, from beneath his palm and stained her cheeks. Temper had her fists tightly clenched. "That doesn't mean anything."

"Hmm, and yet, I could have you out of this dress and writhing on my tongue in minutes."

Caroline inhaled sharply, and his thumb stroked up the side of her throat. "No."

"I'd start slow," Klaus said, words lowering to a rumble, a hint of gravel roughening his tone. "Ease the straps, so the fabric would rasp against nerves gone suddenly hyper aware, until I could see your pretty breasts. Did you manage to find a bra to wear beneath? I've wondered all night what surprises my dress hides."

Her thighs clenched without her permission and Caroline shook her head. Her voice was low, held a huskiness she hadn't expected. "That's none of your business."

Klaus made a low noise of dissent. His tongue snaked across his lips, as his eyes dragged down the heightened color of her face. His grip didn't change, the only movement the slide of his thumb, but it felt like she was being branded.

"Perhaps, but tell me, have you ever fantasized about semi-public sex, Caroline?"

Her back hit the wall, and she didn't remember moving towards it. "What?"

Klaus' lips curled, until dimples creased his cheeks. He spoke in an intimate murmur, hand slowly sliding towards her jaw. "Come now, love. Surely you've a naughty thought or two, for when those foolish boys you allow into your bed fail you? I've thought of you often. Imagined you naked and begging, in all sorts of lovely positions. Tonight, I'd bend you over the settee, lick you to orgasm through the lace of your knickers. You'd of course wish to remain quiet, not want your precious friends to discover us. I'd like to test that dedication with my cock."

Caroline let the wall take more of her weight and tried not to shudder, as his fingers slid behind her ear. She didn't trust her voice, arousal a swell in her veins. She could feel how wet she was, her underwear sticky, and the deliberate way Klaus inhaled told her knew as well. Fingers toying with curls at her nape, he made a pleased, greedy sound.

"Once you were replete and boneless I'd take you to my bed." Yellow streaked through the blue of his eyes. "I'd strip you, lay you bare on my sheets, and devour you in the smallest of bites. Until you'd forget your fear, until you'd forget your precious rules and the only thought in your mind is _more._ Such a lovely feast you'd make."

Thighs pressed tightly together, Caroline shook her head. Her voice was shaky, but she held his gaze stubbornly. "I don't sleep with people who try to kill my friends. Who enjoys frightening those I love."

"I've no desire to terrorize you, but I don't mind a little bite of fear," Klaus murmured. "How frantically your heart beats, the pounding of your pulse, mingled with the scent of your arousal. The anticipation of not knowing how I'll touch you; knowing I can touch you however I wish, and that you'll love it."

"You don't get to touch me," Caroline rasped. "What I like isn't yours to know."

Klaus chuckled, leaned forward to press his lips to her cheek. His mouth brushed against her skin, until he reached her ear, where he lingered. "No? I can hear how wet you are, Caroline. I wouldn't have to really touch you, just a few brushes against your clit, and you'd come for me. Tell me, what do you really fear? That'd I'd do exactly as I promise and ruin you or that I'd fail?"

She swallowed hard. Closed her eyes tightly as she barely avoided blurting out a _yes._ "Has it occurred to you that I don't trust you? That I've no reason to want to sleep with you?"

Klaus pulled back, and she let him see her resolve, as shaky as it felt. Instead of rage, he smiled. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out the bracelet she'd thrown at him.

"When you go home," Klaus murmured as he draped the diamonds around her wrist. "You'll think of me."

"No, I won't," she started, but her voice died as he glanced at her. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her trembling fingers.

"Maybe you won't touch yourself tonight, but you will, Caroline. You'll slip these delicate fingers along the parts of you that are so slick with need, and you'll wonder at just how good I'd feel inside you. If my tongue can live up to my promises. Eventually, wondering won't be enough. You're a curious creature, love, and the answers you want are only found in my bed."

She let her hand fall to her side as he stepped back. "You're making assumptions."

"Am I? I suppose we'll see. Just know, Caroline, that my invitation stands. You'd be welcome in my bed, if you can manage to find the courage to be there. I can be patient. But tonight I'll be thinking of you, all your lovely skin. Imagining how you'd look, bound to my headboard with silken ties, all spread open for me. The color of your eyes when you come, the sound of your voice as you beg."

Caroline stood alone in the sitting room for several minutes, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat.

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	23. Wicked Seas

_Caroline is the the interior designer for K's house and maybe not so subtly keeps on hinting that the bath is designed to fit two people comfortably and if she says it one more word he's gonna throw her in and ravage her" (smut, obvs)_

* * *

 _something heretical in our sera  
a peeking thing, half mischievous  
and i, trying to see if you are my mirror if you  
recognize the streak in me as your own something - dissident, to virility by Lauren Sage_

The bathroom tipped the scale.

Caroline stood in the master bedroom, clipboard held tightly between her fingers. This was supposed to be the final walkthrough. The cumulation of ten years of work. She honestly hadn't worried when her assistant had hastily switched out a few pages, murmuring about a few last minutes changes.

"Mr. Mikaelson was pretty specific about them," Caroline remembered vaguely hearing as she juggled her things. "With the family issue, he didn't want to bother you."

These were _not_ last minute changes.

Klaus liked darker colors and heavy furniture, and there had been several heated discussions via email and over the phone in the last year. Caroline was all for catering to taste, and even she'd admit he had an extraordinary eye for color, but she'd never been around someone so _medieval_. Klaus had laughed at her snarl during one of their many phone calls, the sin of his voice all the richer for his amusement.

" _Of course I am love," Klaus had drawled and she glared at the phone on her desk._

 _Eyes rolling, because she knew he couldn't see, she blew out a breath. "Klaus if you keep that monstrosity in your sitting room, I'll quit."_

 _Another low noise of amusement. "I didn't know you felt so strongly about mere upholstery, sweetheart."_

" _It's hideous, I refuse to have my name attached to it. You're furnishing a palazzo; a palazzo you've spent quite a bit of money on to keep the framework intact while modernizing. You might be comfortable with the feeling of an underground torture chamber, but if you're going to pick blocky, ugly furniture, it might as well be_ comfortable _. That is_ not _."_

 _A soft, considering sound and she bit her lip to keep from shivering. The last time he'd sounded so intrigued, his tongue had been hot and wet against the hollow of her throat._

 _Memories she needed to forget._

" _Let's compromise," Klaus suggested. "Come to Italy, and we'll go shopping, together."_

 _Caroline was shaking her head, before he'd finished. "You know I can't."_

" _Caroline," Klaus murmured, something old and dangerous creeping into his voice. "If you require assistance…"_

" _Thank you," she replied automatically, nails biting into her palm. "But I'm fine."_

 _Caroline was uncertain how much Klaus knew of her situation. He'd offered her no hints, had simply continued to inquire if she needed aid. She'd never been entirely certain what he knew of her kind. She'd always been firm, regarding her need for privacy, and Klaus had never pushed her directly._

 _His network was large, and while her kind were rare, they were not unknown._

" _You will, of course, be there for the final walkthrough?" Klaus said instead, voice deliberately light. "It'd be a shame, after all your hard work, if you weren't there for its completion."_

She'd agreed.

It'd taken work to finally extract herself from the politics that had so dominated her life for the past few years. Her mother's death had put the community into a bind, and while several of the council had felt that Caroline was a natural choice as a replacement, she hadn't agreed.

In the end, it had been her ties to the Mikaelson family that had thoroughly disqualified her. She'd been given a wrenching choice, and Caroline had made it. She'd chosen without hesitation, but she mourned the life she'd let go.

It hurt, to walk away.

Two days ago, she'd checked into her hotel in Dubrovnik utterly exhausted. Croatia was a beautiful country, but Caroline hadn't had a chance to admire it on this trip. She'd caught up on emails, finalized plans, and slept. That morning, she'd finally woken with purpose.

Caroline had spent the day ordering her two remaining employees around, and it'd felt wonderful. For the first time in two years, she'd felt in control. A finished project had always left her energized, and she enjoyed putting together the final touches.

Finally, she'd kicked everyone out, worn but delighted. In a perfect world, she'd have walked through one last time barefoot, cradling a glass of wine. The late hour and drive to her hotel didn't allow the indulgence tonight, but she'd promised herself a nightcap and cake when she was back in her hotel room.

Now, standing in the master suite, Caroline had no idea what to think. A little dazed, her eyes tracked over the wide room. The bed was still sturdy and dark, but it offset the rest of the room beautifully. Wide windows showcased the colors of the setting sun across the sea.

The bathroom had also undergone changes that had never been in her plans. Originally cramped and small, they'd gutted the room next to the master for additional closet space and room for a shower. Klaus had been very particular in his requirements.

Caroline hadn't expected this number of changes, however. There were so many windows. The entire room was painted in the colors of the sunset, and her gaze had trouble moving away from the gorgeous sunken tub.

Caroline had spent _years_ on the remodeling plans, and she remembered none of this.

"Do you like it?"

She jolted, and the clipboard slipped from her hands in surprise. Caroline spun, heart in her throat, and swallowed hard at the sight of Klaus. His gaze glittered as he leaned against the doorframe, dressed as casually as she'd ever seen him. The sudden spike of awareness, the butterflies in her belly hadn't changed an iota from the last time she'd seen him.

A lurch in her chest, as she realized she'd missed him.

"Klaus, I thought you weren't arriving until tomorrow?" Her voice was high with surprise as she mentally scrambled. She was not prepared for this. He straightened, walking into the bathroom with a pleased curve of his lips.

"I arrived a week ago."

She blinked, bit her lip. "Why?"

His head tilted, and Klaus watched her with gold flecked eyes. "You've been avoiding me, since our trip to Kea."

"You're perfectly aware of why," she reminded him, as her tongue wet her lips nervously. He murmured a dissent, even as his gaze tracked the movement of her mouth.

"It's been two years, Caroline." His hands were clasped behind his back, and he kept his distance, but Klaus had planted himself firmly between her and the doorway. "I've allowed the distance, because I'm aware of your need for privacy. What are a few years after a thousand? But I've found myself growing impatient."

Her spine straightened as she narrowed her gaze. "You don't get to dictate to me, Klaus. I'm not one of your minions."

His lips curled, and dimples creased his cheeks, but there was too much predator behind his gaze for her to relax. "Of that I'm quite aware, love. But here I'd thought we'd had such a lovely time in Greece."

"You kissed me!" She snapped. The blue left his gaze entirely, and she felt her magic shift along her bones in response. Caroline's skin prickled, as his tongue snaked along his lips, as if he recalled the taste of her on his lips. Her abdomen went tight with the first brush of arousal and she ground her teeth in frustration.

The livewire that blazed between them hadn't lessened, with space. The widening of his pupils, told her that he still felt it too. In the two decades that she'd known him, he'd never bothered to hide what he wanted from her. Caroline had just never imagined it would go on for this long.

"Now, Caroline, that's hardly all I did," Klaus cajoled, eyes burning. "And you enjoyed it."

Her lips compressed even as her cheeks burned. He was right. She _had_ enjoyed it. The taste of him against her tongue, the cleverness of his fingers insinuated down the front of her slacks. His mouth hot along the tops of her breasts. Being interrupted had left her in a foul mood, one Klaus had promised to coax her out of later as he licked his fingers clean.

It hadn't been until Tyler's surprise appearance that she'd run.

Not even Klaus could follow her into the sea.

But he was here now, barefoot and hunting, and he studied her in a way that should've left her scrambling for an exit. But it was difficult to feel frightened with windows that showed her the water and Klaus in front of her. He'd never inspired terror in her, and the wildness of his monsters had always soothed hers.

She knew the mercurial violence that lived beneath his skin. The shifting of his moods as wild and turbulent as the waters she'd been born. Klaus should have frightened her. Wolf and vampire, he was an old world nightmare. Instead, she'd always been stupidly fascinated by this man and his tangled monsters.

"Did I frighten you?"

Her gaze jumped to his, as he interrupted her thoughts. Wolf in his gaze, the dark veins beneath his eyes, she swallowed hard. It wasn't fear that his predator aroused, and his eyes gleamed knowingly. Scowling, she bent and picked up the dropped clipboard.

"Look, if you're here, we might _as well_ …"

Her words died as Klaus was suddenly so close, she could feel the heat of him against her skin. Her head snapped up, and fingertips she'd fantasized about more than once brushed down the curve of her chin. "The palazzo is finished, the checks deposited. Shall I walk you to your car, Caroline? If you are set against me, I will offer you this chance to walk away."

Her breath caught, at the look behind his eyes. For the first time since they'd met, Caroline realized she was facing the possibility of him walking away for good. Swallowing, she tightened her grip on the clipboard. "Or?"

His lips curved, and his hand brushed down the column of her throat to skim the splash of freckles that dusted her shoulders. She shivered, as he traced down to the edge of her sleeve, her dress hiding the rest of her secrets.

"Or you can stay."

Eyes wide, she felt a chill as he stepped away. Struck silent as he walked out of the bathroom, she tried to grapple with what had just happened. Fingers white-knuckled against the clipboard, she caught her lip tightly and tried to think.

It'd been twenty years since their first chance meeting. She'd been in a rush, newly divorced, struggling to figure out the challenges of a career and keeping her newly reclaimed magic hidden. The hotel lobby had been packed, and she'd tripped over a stupid human and straight into a guest waiting impatiently in the lobby.

 _Muttering apologies, she straightened herself with a scowl. Shoving her wild hair away from her face, she'd gone wide-eyed and still, at the inhuman eyes that took her in. Vampire, but a kind she'd never seen, with yellow in his gaze. There was an age to him she hadn't felt before, and his eyes were filled with curiosity._

" _And what are you,_ sweetheart _?"_

 _The endearment curled off his tongue and an unexpected heat flushed her cheeks, even as alarm stirred her beast. Stepping back, she compressed her lips and glared at him. Amusement kicked up the edges of his mouth and she glanced at her watch with a mental curse._

" _Late," she said as she spun to push back through the crowd. She'd no time and no interest in flirting with strangers, even interesting ones. She didn't expect him to fall into step next to her, the crowd parting with the force of his presence._

" _I've lived quite some time, and I've never seen your like," the monster next to her murmured._

" _Haven't much experience with interior designers?" She countered. "Surprising."_

 _A low chuckle, as she stepped into the afternoon sun. He didn't follow her and she pushed down the twinge of disappointment._

Two days later, he'd had shown up in her tiny office and introduced himself: Klaus Mikaelson, Original hybrid. Old world elegance, modern ass. He'd laughed the first time she'd muttered the words under his breath, dimples cutting deep.

He'd hired her to renovate an apartment in Paris, lips curled with challenge when he questioned if she spoke French. She did. More importantly, she needed the money, so she'd taken the job. When she finished, when everything finally met even his exacting standards, she thought was the end of it.

It wasn't.

Caroline couldn't remember going a full year without seeing him after that first project. Klaus cropped up over the years at the oddest time, an offer for dinner or an interesting new renovation. He'd never settled for just business, coaxing bits and pieces of _Caroline_ into their conversations.

But underneath the cautious friendship was _heat_ , his stubborn curiosity in regards to her magic. She'd seen him at his most charming, and had stood her ground through the shifting sands of his temper. Klaus had never bothered to hide who or what he was from her. All the dangerous angles and the quicksilver ruthlessness of his mind.

Caroline had seen him fresh from the kill, blood slick down his chin and clothes, monsters wild.

Klaus could be terrifying, but he'd never attempted to terrorize her. She supposed that was why she'd continued to find herself in his company, the predator in her bones unwilling to bend in the face of his. Why she'd found herself cautiously opening up.

Then the palazzo had been dropped on her desk. It was the largest remodel she'd agreed to do for him. Somehow, he'd talked her into a trip to Greece, for research. A night at his Villa in Kea.

And somehow, Tyler had been there.

Fifteen years had not blunted the impact of her emotions.

They'd startled each other. Tyler had grown older, hair salt and pepper, a ring on his finger. But as the surprise died in his eyes, old resentment had bloomed, and a greed she knew too well had risen to the surface.

She'd bolted.

Klaus had not been amused, the bitten off voicemails waiting for her when she'd landed in London had shaken her already rattled nerves. She might have managed to deal with with her past, if she hadn't returned to a notice from her clan.

She'd been summoned.

Emotionally unbalanced, Caroline had left Klaus a rambling voicemail as she packed a bag and walked away from everything she'd tried to build.

Klaus hadn't let her. Voicemails, texts and very irritable emails had pushed and prodded until she'd given in and called him.

" _I gave you three suggestions for firms that will do at least as good a job as I can," Caroline snapped at his hello._

" _If I was interested in hiring anyone else, I'd have already done so," Klaus said cooly. "Abandoning a project, love? Quite unlike you."_

 _She ground her teeth. "I told you, it's a family emergency."_

" _Yes, and you've been rather sparse on the details."_

" _That's because it's none of your business," Caroline said, just as firmly. Her stomach trembled at the low growl that echoed down the phone. Her mind tried to flash to when she'd heard a similar noise from Klaus, under much more interesting circumstances. Shaky fingers raked through her curls. "Look, I'll consult, alright?"_

" _No," Klaus said dangerously. "I'll expect a rough draft of your initial thoughts per our initial timeline, Caroline, or I'll come looking."_

He'd hung up, before she could respond.

She'd emailed him twenty minutes before midnight on their agreed upon original date. Her email had been brief and laden with rude suggestions. His response had been waiting on her that morning. It too, had been brief, and ended in a reminder that he was capable of providing a variety of aid.

Somehow, refusing to email him shifted to near daily discussions that kept her occupied in between long meetings and arguments. Never let it be said her people made decisions quickly.

But once made, they were final.

She'd walked away from the remains of her people because they'd wanted to cage her with their expectations. They'd refused to change. Caroline had promised herself to never be the victim of someone else's expectations again, and she'd refused to live that way, even for the departed mother she'd loved.

And here was Klaus, giving her choices.

She could choose to return to the comfortable life she'd built for herself and leverage the palazzo for the career she'd chased for decades. She could stay. Allow herself to see if the draw between them was more than just sexual attraction.

But to stay was to accept more than just sex. She'd seen Klaus' rage and jealousy, when Tyler had touched her. Had heard the taut control when they'd spoken over the phone these past two years.

Annoyance mingled with exasperation and frustrated admiration for his tactics. Caroline wasn't entirely certain if she should slug Klaus or kiss him, for this expert manipulation. He was gambling, had baited the trap, and left the decision to her. Engage or withdraw?

Irritation rose to the surface.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an unbelievable ass?" Caroline demanded as she strode back into the bedroom. Klaus was standing in front of a window, the low lighting in the room accommodating the deepening night outside.

"Not recently, but I'm certain it's been suggested once or twice," Klaus responded with amusement as he faced her. Brow arching, he smiled, brows arching. "Come to a decision, love?"

Hand settling on her hip, she pointed her clipboard at him. "Is this because of Tyler?"

The smile wiped from his face, gaze going hard. Caroline didn't flinch from the sudden anger, the iron that filled his eyes. "Careful, Caroline. That's a discussion you may not be be ready for, when you've remained so indecisive regarding the rest, hmm?"

"Don't tell me what I do or do not want to do, Klaus," Caroline ground out, eyes darkening. "Answer my question."

"Do you imagine I take orders?"

"You want me in your bed? Then you can explain yourself, explain this!"

Klaus stepped closer, smile dangerous. "Ah, but Caroline, that is where you are mistaken. I've no intention of settling for you only in my bed. I want you in my life. I want the secrets you hide in your bones, that you cover with wary eyes and fierce teeth. You showed me the depth of your want in Kea, and then you abandoned me on the shores."

Caroline studied the vividness of his temper, considered the biting fury of his tone. She'd hurt him, when she'd left. She hadn't meant to. It was that knowledge, that unspoken evidence of his emotional involvement that allowed her to soften.

"Tyler is a wound I've never handled well," Caroline said slowly, watching him. Klaus' eyes narrowed, gold threading back through blue, but he said nothing. She took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to hurt you when I left."

"I do not require an apology, nor do I want one, Caroline," Klaus said. "I need an answer."

She licked her lips. "You know what I am?"

His gaze heated, eyes sliding down her body. The dress covered her from shoulders to knees, as was her preference. It didn't seem to matter to Klaus, his eyes hot with blatant want when he met her gaze.

"Yes."

It had always been a question of when Klaus figured it out, not if. Selkies were rare now, the shapeshifters rarely choosing to walk on land. The old families who knew how to steal their skins, trap them for the luck, were dying out. But her past was riddled with mistakes, and she'd suffered the seas being denied to her. Her teeth worried her lip.

"Don't pout, love." Klaus murmured, something potent in his eyes. "It took years of careful research. I was fairly certain before your ex ran his mouth, but it was nice to have my suspicions confirmed."

Wary now, Caroline eyed him. "What did Tyler _say_?"

He stepped close, and his fingertips lifted to linger in the hollow of her throat. "He spoke drunkenly of his ruin. How he regretted your skin being returned, as Selkies are creatures of luck."

Caroline bared the edge her teeth. "Did he speak of the years he denied me the ocean, until I ferreted out my skin? How he wished to use tradition to force my magic to benefit him? I couldn't _shift_."

"Is that why you ran, Caroline?" Klaus questioned, voice low and bladed. "You fear I'd take your skin and hide it from you? Leave you stranded on these shores, deny you entrance to the ocean you so adore?"

There was something old and violent in his words. But it wasn't directed at her.

"To take my skin, you'd have to kill me," she said fiercely. "I've learned from my mistakes. I will not be caged again."

Lips tilting, he canted his head. "Then why hesitate? It has never been a lack of _want_ between us."

She huffed out a breath, a sliver of shyness turning her cheeks pink. "In order to protect my skin, I wear it. Everywhere. And…"

She didn't hate Tyler. Her emotions were too tangled for merely hatred. After she'd stolen back her skin, she'd only seen him once before the disaster in Greece. The look in his eyes had cut deeper than she'd ever imagined as he'd looked at the truth of her. A mingling of horror and loathing, until she'd tucked the bits of the sea that clung to her back beneath her skin.

The ruin of their marriage still lingered in the quiet parts of her heart. In the end, it'd been a part of the reason she'd walked from her clan. Tradition demanded she become a mother before her second century, that she continue the line. Male Selkies were rare and their species too closely related to safely marry within. Her only choice were humans now, and she wouldn't risk her skin again.

She'd learned that lesson from Tyler.

Others might've believed temporary captivity a reasonable price to pay for a child, but she did not. She found that she balked at hiding her truth from someone who should be her partner, but what human would think her creature beautiful? Rarely had she taken lovers and she'd never allowed them to see her as she really was.

Then Klaus had walked into her life, with coveting eyes and monstrous teeth. He would never be satisfied with just parts of her. Emotionally, physically… he wasn't a man to let her _be_.

Klaus studied her with narrowed eyes, fingers coming to trace the skin of her shoulder. "Perhaps I decided too hastily to allow this Tyler to live, if he put that look behind your eyes, sweetheart."

"I chose to let Tyler live," she rebuked, voice firm. "He is not yours to punish."

"No?"

" _No_."

"So you do not want my hand for vengeance?" Klaus arched his brows, cheekbones sharp with temper. "Tell me, Caroline, _do_ you want _me_? My life, my home?"

Caroline froze, heart thumping in her throat. The predator that lived in her bones shifted awake, at his snarled words and her gaze skittered across the room. "Your… _home_?"

He couldn't know how that tempted her beast, how she'd floundered since being cut off from her village. She'd made the right choice for her, but she'd never been so utterly alone. Having the option to go home, to return to those who loved her, was gone. It _hurt_.

Now, Klaus casually, _angrily_ , offered her what she'd given up and more. As if it was a simple matter of her just taking what she needed. Uncertain, she stared at him.

"You cannot imagine I've made certain changes based on my own preferences," Klaus murmured, voice softening at her apparent bewilderment. "I, who've no particular attachment to the seas. Did you imagine I'd avoided this place for any other reason than my imagination making it impossible to work? I want you naked on my sheets, I want to bend you over the bath and run my hands over slick skin. I want to taste the salt of your arousal on my tongue until you're feral with need. You've only given me such a small taste."

She stared at his face, and swallowed. She wanted him. She'd wanted him for _years_. Her reluctance had nothing to do with his monsters, the blood he wore so carelessly, regardless of his apparent beliefs. There were wounds, old ones, that Tyler had cut into her heart and her family's recent rejection had left bleeding.

But that wasn't fair to either of them. So Caroline braced herself, and took the dive, words rushed and a little desperate. "I _do_ want you. But the last man to see me naked wasn't particularly aroused by the sight."

Something old and violent slipped through his words, triumph mingled with scorn. "Tyler was a fool."

"I hold my magic for a reason," she said softly. "All Selkies do."

Klaus' eyes flashed, and he stepped into her. Head dipping, he pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat, scraped his teeth across the curve of her shoulder. His words were harsh and uncompromising when he spoke against her skin.

"You will not hide from me."

She curled a hand into his hair, shivered at the rasp of his tongue across her freckles. "You might regret that."

Klaus sucked strongly for a moment before pulling away, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze filled with challenge. "Take off your dress."

Caroline froze. She swallowed. "I'm not human, Klaus, not the way you are. This isn't the form I was made for, and I carry the sea with me."

His eyes caught hers, held them. "Take off your dress, Caroline."

Her fingers fumbled, but she pulled her dress over her head at his velvet order. She was grateful for the cups of her bra, when his gaze raked across her skin, eyes narrowing. With her glamour, the only hint of her beast were the freckles on her shoulders, a splash across her abdomen.

" _Caroline_."

Stomach clenching with nerves, she relaxed her grip on the magic that tucked away her selkie skin. Caroline peaked at Klaus from beneath her lashes, pulse a rapid staccato in her veins. He didn't look horrified, but enraptured, as his gaze slowly moved down her body.

The freckles on her shoulders weren't true freckles, but the beginning of her beasts' markings. They scattered across her chest, darkened and widened into true spots beneath her breasts. Clusters chased down the line of her ribs to the tops of her thighs, spots mingling black and blue-black in the light. Lighter grey and white spots dotted along her abdomen, so that her pale skin shimmered in the light. Her back was darkly riddled from the back of her shoulders and to the backs of her knees. Her arms and calves only had the palest of dusting.

Klaus stepped close, utterly silent as he traced his palms up the flat plane of her abdomen. The faint catch of calluses left her skin prickling. Caroline's breath hitched, as his fingers shifted and spanned her ribs.

"I want to draw you on silk sheets," he breathed, thumbs grazing beneath her breasts. She shivered as he repeated the motion, his eyes fascinated. Her skin was softer than a human's, slicker, particularly on her abdomen. "With open windows, so the sun brings out each shade of color, and later, in moonlight just like this, to trace the shadows."

"Oh," she whispered, voice shaky.

"Tonight," Klaus rumbled, brushing the edge of her bra. "I'll settle for licking across this lovely skin, sinking my fangs into your thigh, your neck, to see how the sea has flavored your blood. How you taste after you've come on my cock."

Caroline shuddered. His thumb pressed just beneath the cup of her bra, nail a slight rasp against the curve of her breast and she inhaled sharply, her nipples tight with sensual awareness. The world changed, color shifting as her beast bled into her eyes. She wasn't a true seal, her form still too human, so she didn't lose her ability to see color. But the shadows sharpened, vision made for hunting in dark seas reflecting the low light until Klaus' hybrid eyes were moon glow yellow.

Those vibrant eyes held hers, the starkness of his monsters' veins a lovely counterpoint to his gaze. His mouth curled as he took in the change of her eyes, blue shaded to black, and he smoothed his hand along her side. "You're utterly breathtaking, Caroline, and I want to touch you."

Throat moving as she swallowed, Caroline twisted one arm behind her back, and unhooked her bra. Klaus' gaze burned, but his eyes did not lower even as the straps slipped down her arms. Her bra hit the floor with a soft sound.

"I've never had sex wearing my skin," she murmured, voice husky. "I've tucked it away, in my blood and bones."

Klaus made a harsh sound in his throat. "Will you run?"

"No."

His head dipped and Klaus took her nipple into his mouth, his tongue a velvet rasp before he sucked strongly. His hand settled on her hip, and his free palm moved along the sensitive skin of her back in a slow drag. Voice a whine in her throat, Caroline's hand flew to his hair, his shoulder, and her nails dug into his skin. Klaus made an approving sound, mouth moving across her sternum before his teeth dragged across the curve of her breast.

" _Harder_."

He rewarded the scrap of her nails with the hot suction of his mouth, until she whimpered. Klaus lifted his head, eyes heavy lidded and greedy. Dipping his chin, his tongue flicked across a collection of spots and she moaned.

"So soft," he mused, nose tracing down her skin. He turned his head, brushed the scruff of his beard below her breasts. Her breath hitched, lips parting as she panted, and Klaus dimpled. The movement of his cheek shifted his beard and she shuddered. "Do you think about that day in Greece, Caroline? When I had my mouth on you, my fingers just brushing against the wet heat of you? I've thought of it often, how I sucked the salt of your arousal off my fingertips. Your taste haunts me."

"Yes," Caroline rasped, her skin to hot. Her heartbeat was loud in her ears, chest and cheeks flushed with arousal.

His smile was dimples and sin, as his tongue slid along his lower lip. "Tell me."

"I think about your hands," she said, when it became apparent he'd no intention of moving an inch until she did so. The hot exhales of his breath left her hyper aware, and she struggled not to squirm. She could smell his arousal, see it in the flare of his pupils and the flush of his cheeks. It left her achingly wet, knowing that he wanted her so badly beneath the iron of his control.

"Do you?" Klaus question lowly, gravel roughening his voice. His fingertips skimmed back down her spine, to brush just under the elastic of her panties, callouses rasping along the curve of her ass. "Have you thought about my hands while you touched yourself?"

It was unfair, how he used the low rumble in his voice, how hot that wicked gleam in his gaze got her. But she was no youth to let him dictate and she wanted his hands, his tongue, on her skin. She _needed_ to be touched.

Dipping her head, Caroline licked at his perfect mouth as her nails dragged behind his ear. Klaus' lean body shuddered and she smiled. "Hmmm. It's been _years_ since I've shared my bed. When I couldn't sleep, I'd think of you. How badly I wanted your fingers inside me, how you promised to make it up to me. Are you going to keep that promise, Klaus?"

His eyes flared and Klaus righted himself, and his palm shifted to cup her ass, and he hauled her off her feet. Caroline gasped as her body pressed against the hard line of his erection. His free hand tangled in her hair, and he urged her close enough his mouth brushed hers as he spoke.

"It's been two years, love, since you disappeared. I'll keep my promise," he rumbled, wolf clear in his eyes. "But you'll beg first."

Her gaze narrowed, but he didn't give her a chance to respond. Klaus moved swiftly towards the bed and each step rocked her against him; Caroline fought to keep her eyes open at the delicious friction. He stripped away the bedding, and he lowered her delicately to the mattress. His palms lifted and cupped her jaw, gaze devouring as his eyes traced the curves of her face. Caroline adored the way he seemed to absorb each hitched breath, every way her body reacted to him, but she was out of patience. Promises or not, she needed to _come_.

"Should I start then?" She taunted. "I'm so wet, it wouldn't take long to get off. It's been ages since I've allowed someone else to touch me, but if you're going to be shy…"

Klaus gaze locked with hers and he released her face. She was tempted to cup her breasts, see how he would respond. Before she could decide, he freed to top sheet he'd shoved to the foot of the bed with a single, hard yank. Then, utterly silent as he watched her, Klaus ripped the bedding into strips.

Caroline's mouth ran bone dry.

"Put your hands on the headboard, Caroline," he ordered, voice a velvet stroke against her senses. She hesitated and his smile turned wicked, and dimples creased his cheeks. There was something nearly feral in his eyes and awareness ran hotly down her spine. Her nipples ached, breasts flushed with need.

"Come now, sweetheart. I'll let you come, once I've explored every glorious inch of you. Aren't you curious? You've admitted that you've never worn your skin during sex, and I'd hate for those clever hands of yours to be tempted to wander. Particularly, when my cock is so eager for you."

Caroline pressed her thighs together, stomach clenching at the rush of arousal that left her soaked and struggling for air. "I thought you wanted me to beg?"

"Oh, we'll get to that," Klaus murmured, voice a dark promise. "If you're a good girl, Caroline, after the bed we'll spend some time in the bath I built for you. I've fantasized about you in it, skin all slicked and flushed pink, riding my cock."

Caroline had never allowed a lover the control Klaus wanted. She studied him. His skin stretched taut across his cheekbones, his muscles were tensed and the hard edge of his cock tempted from behind his pants. She found she wasn't adverse. God, he'd pushed her _so close_ with just his words. Just a brush, and she'd shatter. What would do if she gave him this?

Klaus looked like he wanted to take a _bite_.

Carefully, she scooted back to the headboard. She arranged the pillows, and Klaus' expression didn't so much as twitch. Once she settled, Klaus crawled up her body. He took his time tying her wrists to the slotted headboard. His jeans brushed tantalizingly against her thighs, and she shifted restlessly.

"Comfortable?" Klaus rumbled.

"Yes."

"Good."

He tangled his hands in her hair, tipped her chin, and kissed her. He devoured her mouth with greedy strokes of his tongue and bruising nips of his teeth until she was whimpering low in her throat. Moving back, he smiled before pulling the damp cotton of his shirt over his head. Caroline stared without shame at the gorgeous muscles that shifted with each breath.

She clenched her fists, that she couldn't _touch_.

"That's mean."

A wicked smirk, and then the hands she'd been desperate to have on her body, cupped the weight of her breasts for just a fleeting moment. "Such lovely breasts, Caroline. I could suck on them, play with your pretty pink nipples until you beg for my mouth. Would you like me to slide my cock inside you, tease you with my mouth until neither of us can take it, and I have to move?"

Her thoughts scattered at the softest brush of his thumb across her aching nipple. It took a moment to find her words and her voice was hoarse when she spoke. "Did you tie me up just to have theoretical discussions about how you're going to touch me?"

A pinch and she jolted, pussy clenching.

"Forgive me," Klaus drawled, eyes wild beneath his lashes. "I'm feeling a bit shy."

She'd have bitten him if she could've reached him. But then his hands lowered, and he traced agonizingly gentle patterns across her skin. Shapes across her ribs, the curve of her thighs, fingertips lingering on clusters of spots until she cursed. Klaus finally dragged his fingers along the sweat slicked skin of her belly, and he lingered on the pale silver-grey that marked her flesh. "So _lovely_. Tell me, Caroline, when you shift, what do you change too?"

Her brain struggled to process his question, voice tight with arousal when she spoke. "Leopard seal."

Klaus looked intrigued. "I'd like to see you."

Straining, body wound tight and hot, she snarled. "And I want to come."

He made a thoughtful noise as he reached back up and toyed with a nipple. She shuddered as her hips rocked uselessly; his fingers slipped beneath the edge of her underwear, little grazes of sensation. His gaze flickered to her desperate eyes and he smiled, dangerous and _oh so hungry_. Without warning, Klaus speared his fingers beneath the wet lace and pinched her clit, thumb rough on her nipple and it felt like she'd been electrocuted. A scream strained her throat, and her back bowed through the rush of pleasure. Spots danced at the edge of her vision and she slowly blinked them away, lowering her chin as she dazedly watched as Klaus licked his fingers clean.

"Delicious," he breathed. "I want more."

Her underwear disappeared as he slid down her body, and his tongue licked up her wet slit. Klaus' chest rumbled and she gasped as her hands grasped uselessly at the bindings. Sensitive from her orgasm, Caroline bucked and yanked at her bindings. "No, I _can't_ …"

Klaus ignored her and teased her clit with the tip of his tongue before he delved for a deeper taste. Sweat turned her skin slick, but his grip never faltered, holding her thighs open. When he finally lifted his mouth, his lips were wet, eyes dark.

"Do you remember when I said I wanted to hear you beg?"

Caroline gripped her bindings and tried to scowl, but it was difficult as he dragged his tongue along her wet folds. She stared at him with her beast in her eyes, bared a hint of her predators teeth. "Make me."

He bit her thigh with blunt teeth. She cried out and the sting was replaced by heat of his tongue, and the noise he made curled her toes. It wasn't until Klaus lifted his head that she realized he'd broken skin. Blood lingered at on his lips, and his veins were dark beneath his eyes.

"You really can't help yourself, can you?" Klaus said softly, and his eyes glittered from blood and her taunt. He unbuttoned his pants, but his hands trembled, and the look in his gaze scorched her.

Caroline traced her mouth with her tongue, and deliberately spread her thighs. Klaus' words were harshly bitten off, and his pants disappeared in tatters. Her toes curled into the bedding, as she took in his aroused cock. She expected him to crawl up her torso, to drive the length of his erection inside her clenching body.

Instead, he moved between her thighs to delicately brush his calloused fingertips down her clit. She jolted, back bowed, and he smiled with wicked teeth before his fingers delved through her folds, one finger hooking inside her. A second, a third, and just as she started to tumble, he pulled his hand free.

Her snarled cut off as Klaus fisted his cock with fingers slicked with her arousal.

Caroline froze, and her eyes jerked to his. His gazed was feral, and his lips parted with a harsh groan, the cords in his neck clearly visible as he stroked himself. A low whimper that might have been his name escaped her and he braced himself on his free hand, careful not to block her view.

"I want you to watch," Klaus said in a voice that was more beast than man. "I'm going to come all over your pretty skin, and then I'm going to make you beg with my mouth. And if you ask _very_ nicely, I'll use my cock to make you come again."

She choked on a breath as her eyes widened, but any irritation she might've expressed died in her throat as his thumb brushed along the tip of his erection. Caroline bit her lip until she tasted blood, as Klaus stroked himself with the hands she'd fantasized about so often. His breathing turned heavy, and his gaze dragged a path between her breasts to her dripping folds. He groaned, body shuddering, and she whimpered as his hand grew slick with their mingled arousal.

Caroline's heart pounded in her ears, body shifted restlessly as Klaus strained between her thighs. The low noises he made, the way his body trembled, left her thighs slick with arousal. Her clit throbbed, her nipples ached and her hands hurt with how tightly she gripped her bindings as he finally reached his release. He spilled hot and sticky across her belly and thighs, foreign words ragged in his throat.

His head dipped as Klaus tried to catch his breath, weight braced heavily on his arm. Caroline's breath hitched her when his eyes returned to hers. He dragged his tongue along the edges of his mouth before he deliberately lowered himself between her thighs. Lightly kissing her sticky clit, something wicked crawled behind his gaze.

A quick, delicate flick of his tongue, and her neck arched, a sob caught inner throat. "It's a good thing you're holding onto something, hmm, love?"

Caroline screamed herself hoarse.

The headboard held, as she lost that little bit of control over her beast. Sharp teeth, sharper cheekbones and black eyes, she'd nearly thrashed herself free when he finally let her come. Klaus gave her no time to recover, shoving her knees towards her arms and thrusting inside her in one smooth movement.

Caroline's eyes rolled back at the sensory overload, breath harsh in her throat. She'd come twice, and the rough grind of his hips against her clit nearly sent her spiraling a third time. Klaus sensed it, and the sudden burn of his fangs in her neck, coupled with another rough thrust of his cock, sent her careening. She'd barely come down, body limp and sensitive, when he started to move again. He rolled his hips slowly, and dragged against her clit with each thrust.

"Klaus," she managed as her head lolled. "Oh _god_."

His hand tunneled beneath her skull and cradled her scalp as he lifted his bloody mouth. The feral edge in his eyes, the dual monsters and her blood staining his smile and her body burned for more.

"You feel divine," he said roughly. "You'll come for me again. I want to feel it."

Bloody lips cut off her sob, and the metal and salt of her blood, mingled with their combined arousal on his tongue, sent her head spinning. She clenched down in a vice around his cock, body straining for a impossible fourth release. Another shift of his hips, a rough grind against at her clit, and her body let go.

She returned to awareness sticky, and smelling heavily of Klaus and sex. He was sprawled next to her, the rapidly healing abrasions of her wrist pressed to his lips. He watched her with covetous eyes, lips curled up at the corners.

Caroline was too sated to move, her bones melted. Klaus leaned forward and nipped her lower lip. "How about that bath?"

* * *

Somehow, Klaus coaxed her limp body into the heat of the tub. Then he stroked her skin, until it wasn't just the heat that turned her cheeks pink. He watched her with blue eyes gone feral, as his hands gripped her ass and waist as she rode him slow.

Her orgasm rippled through her and she felt Klaus follow her as she sank against his chest, cheek pressed against his throat as she panted. Too sated to move, body wrung dry, she drifted. One of Klaus' hands shifted to tangle in her hair, the water cooling around them as he dragged his fingertips lazily down the knots of her spine.

"The bath was an excellent idea," she murmured sluggishly. "But I've no idea how I'm going get out. I can't feel my legs."

Klaus laughed low in his throat. "I think I can manage to get us both into bed, sweetheart. We've a few more moments before the water turns cool."

Delighted, Caroline shifted to curl an arm around his waist, and pillowed her cheek on his shoulder. She skimmed her fingertips along his tattoo, and considering. "We still have things to discuss."

"Hmmm," he hummed. "Those things can wait 'til morning. I've a list, and I imagine you do as well."

She nodded. "Yes."

Warm fingers slick from bath water curved along her nape. "You said you'd stay."

Caroline dug her nails into his hip. "I will."

"Then everything else can wait," Klaus said firmly. His hands shifted, and his palm gripped her ass as he stood. She gasped, legs tightening around his waist. Blue and gold, his gaze held hers as his lips curled into a wicked smile, dimples creasing his cheeks. "I admire your clever brain, Caroline, but I'm a touch insulted that it's still functioning. Let's see what we can do about that, hmm?"

When dawn crept into the room, Caroline was tangled possessively around Klaus. Hair a wild ruin across his pillows, her fingers pressed into skin, with their legs twined. For the first time in years, both woman and beast slept.

* * *

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	24. Lady be Luck

The grounds beneath her window were lovely at night. The moon was bright, and Caroline had carefully pulled the heavy drapes aside to feel the chill of the night air. Wrap tugged around her shoulders, she shivered and tried to let the the formal patterns of the garden soothe her tired mind.

The nightmare wasn't new. This was the third night that sleep had eluded her, and yet her mind continued to turn in useless circles. The last few nights had taken their toll, and exhaustion had left her eyes gritty. Even in the dark of her room, moonlight and banked coals her only light, she couldn't find peace.

Klaus was home.

Her husband had returned that evening, but had chosen not to join her for the evening repast. Her fingers curled into her palms, and her brows bunched together. She'd caught a mere glimpse of him as he strode past the dining room, but he'd chosen to remain in his study long after she'd retired. Caroline had tried to stay awake, she needed to know if he was already regretting his choice. She'd failed.

Now there was only silence from the adjoining room and Caroline was too much of a coward to confront him when he might not be fully clothed. Her cheeks burned, at the memory of the single kiss they'd shared.

 _She hadn't been able to let go of the bouquet. It wasn't fashionable, the bright array of colors, the assortment of blooms. Weddings were demure, solemn occasions and Klaus…_

 _Klaus had gathered them._

 _Her chest ached. Fingers brushing over a single bloom, she found that the few short days she'd known this man had ravaged something in her chest. The sardonic comments about marriage, his brusque care of her told her much about him and yet not enough._

 _Turning, she faced her new husband as he offered her hand to help her into the carriage. "I'm sorry it came to this."_

 _Klaus arched a brow, the blue in his eyes darkening with an emotion she couldn't read. "Second thoughts? We have certainly gone past the point of no return, Caroline."_

 _There was a rustle of voices, but she ignored them, face stubborn as she shook her head. Her lips parted to argue with him, but whatever words she might've used died in her throat as he bent and kissed her. It was no polite joining of lips, but something hot and wet. She made a noise she hadn't known herself capable of when he lifted his head. His eyes flicked behind her, and his voice was low and possessive when he spoke again._

" _We are married, Caroline, and any attempts to rescind the matter would leave your reputation in tatters, something I will not allow. I believe you'll find the good Bishop would also have an opinion regarding the matter, after stumbling upon our affectionate display."_

 _She'd scrambled into the carriage when he offered his hand, face bright red._

The way his mouth had…

Caroline made a low noise of frustration. Her cheeks felt hot from the memory, and the unfamiliar ache low in her belly was one she'd struggled to explain since that kiss. She'd gleaned a few basics, knew what she felt was her body's reaction to that kiss, but she hadn't known you could _crave_ someone's mouth. That a girl could dream of hands and lips, to let the heat of one memory wash over the horror of another.

That you could wake sweaty and tangled in the sheets, skin burning instead of clammy from fear.

But she seemed to be completely alone in her wants. She'd been married less than three days and already bored her husband. The rushed ceremony before the bishop, the mix of emotions she'd been unable to read in his eyes, she'd hoped for at least some form of affection.

Caroline had never been a romantic, a childhood spent caring for an ailing mother at her father's lonely country estate had taught her to be resilient. She'd have never thought she'd need that strength, the daughter of a wealthy but miserly merchant.

Then her mother had died and not a full year into mourning, her father had informed her of her marriage. She'd protested, but her words had fallen on deaf ears. It was done, and Caroline had been resigned to her future. The Lockwoods were a old family, and her fate could have been far worse. Tyler was at least only a few years older than her, and comely.

She'd cried, as her carriage pulled away from her childhood home. She'd done her best to hide the tears from her maid, her only companion for the trip. Caroline had begged her father to join her and had been rebuffed.

Then everything had gone horribly wrong and Caroline's world had changed in an instant.

 _Her hands shook, as she struggled to free the man still pinned beneath part of the carriage. Her hands hurt from clawing her way out of it and her side ached fiercely, but he couldn't remain so close to the wreck. Breath jagged in her throat, she finally managed to shift him enough that he wasn't in danger of being crushed if the carriage suddenly collapsed._

 _Glancing down, she froze as she took in the unexpectedly handsome lines of his bruised face. He had unusually unkempt curls, clothing that was of good quality, and cheeks darkened by a day's growth of stubble. It was the closest Caroline had ever been to a man who wasn't a relation. Her heart leapt into her throat when his lashes parted, eyes blue and unfocused, and she scrambled away in shock._

Caroline shook off the thread of memory, studied the palms of her hands. The dirt and grime were gone, the only reminders of the terrible accident the bruises along her legs and back, the cuts along her palms that had scabbed over. They no longer required the gauze or healing salve that had been provided, but the terror of it caught her at the oddest times.

It had been what had jolted her so violently from sleep that night. The scream of the horses, the violent crunch of wood and iron as the world had tumbled. Her maid and driver had been seriously injured, and the heavy scent of iron still lingered in her dreams

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, she turned back to her bed, determined to at least lay quietly until dawn. Instead, she froze at the sight of Klaus leaning against her doorway. He was dressed in a loose shirt and soft breeches, eyes glittering with a familiar temper.

"Why are you not sleeping?"

Her spine snapped straight, even as her fingers tugged her wrap tighter against her body. Caroline felt herself blush, as his eyes raked down her modest nightgown, but it wasn't just embarrassment that colored her cheeks red.

"Did I wake you?" Caroline asked coolly. "I apologize."

His jaw shifted, and Klaus strode forward. The lines of his body, the angle of his eyes were difficult to read in the muted light. It wasn't fear that left her pulse thundering, but awareness. Her husband had been an unexpected assault on her senses from the moment she'd dragged him out of the ruins of his carriage. It wasn't enough that he was unfairly beautiful, but the scent of his, the barely restrained energy left her skin prickling when he stood this close.

Caroline had been closer to him, the night they'd been forced to crowd into a single room while their servants' injuries were attended. The fallacy that they were married had left her mute with shock when Klaus had said it, exhaustion and her own injuries leaving her off balance.

" _You cannot be serious," Caroline hissed lowly as the door shut. Her back and head hurt, but it was her her hands that_ burned _. She was worried sick about April, and while she was sure the man who had introduced himself as Mr. Mikaelson's valet was fully capable of ensuring her maid was cared for, this arrangement just wouldn't_ do _._

 _Mr. Mikaelson arched both brows as he unknotted the ruined mess of his cravat, shucking his jacket as well. Her eyes darted away, shyness and unease leaving her cheeks pink. He made an amused sound and Caroline locked her teeth to hold her tongue._

" _Of course I'm certain," Mr. Mikaelson returned easily, seemingly unconcerned by the lies he'd spoken out front. "The Inn is small, sweetheart, and you do wish to maintain your reputation, do you not? In the morning, we shall head to a village a ways north of here. The bishop is a friend, and he can make arrangements to see you back to your family safely."_

" _Betrothed," Caroline murmured, exhaustion roughening her voice as she sat slowly. She missed the way his eyes sharpened, her own closing for a moment. "I'm supposed to be joining my betrothed. I should be with April."_

 _A rough, irritated noise and Mr. Mikaelson was suddenly crouched in front of her. Wordlessly, he lifted her hand and studied her bloody palms. "So stubborn. Where else are you hurt?"_

 _She bit the tip of her tongue, to keep from saying words she might regret. The argument at the wreck still rang in her ears, his temper at her refusal to leave her maid. She was still furious about how he'd simply manhandled her away from the road, his man carefully following with April in his arms._

" _I'm unsure about the sincerity of your concern," Caroline told him frostily. "I believe you called me a viper by the road."_

 _His mouth curled, and the sudden appearance of dimples left her pulse jolting. "Perhaps I could have been more gentlemanly in my choice of words towards you, but as I explained earlier, it is difficult to secure rooms once true night has fallen. Since neither of us wish to compromise your reputation, we must make do. The Innkeeper and his wife have not seen you, but if the doctor is required, it is best we have him take a look now. Better to not give him a reason to remember your face, as lovely as it is."_

 _She set her jaw and met his eyes. "I'm fine."_

 _Those eyes flashed, blue darkening, but strangely she didn't feel fear. His hands remained careful where they touched her. "You were in a carriage accident."_

" _So were you," Caroline said primly, chin tilted stubbornly. "If you require the doctor, please, do not let me stop you. A little water and some clean cloth and I can attend myself."_

 _A twitch in his jaw, and something shifted behind his eyes, but he stood. "Stubborn woman. I will return, do not move from that position."_

Fingertips brushed beneath her eyes and she jolted back to awareness. Gaze snapping to Klaus' as he stared at her, iron in his eyes. She opened her mouth to ask him to leave, when he caught her loose hand. A rough noise rumbled in his chest, and his teeth flashed as he gripped her fingers.

"You're freezing."

Tempted to be impolite, she gasped as he shifted his weight, hands carefully tugging her along with him. She sputtered as he continued through the connecting door and into his bedchamber. It smelled like him, and Caroline was helpless to stop the way she savored the first lungful of his scent.

Klaus didn't seem to notice, settling her on a low chair before moving to attend the banked coals. In a moment, the fire was bright and crackling. The sudden heat in her veins had little to do with the flames, stomach unexpectedly tight from watching the line of his shoulders move.

"You should tell your maid to add more wood if you're cold at night," Klaus said as he shifted to face her, gaze sharp. There was no good way to tell him the chill hadn't bothered her, that she was unused to such tiny luxuries as _heat_.

But she'd learned a bit about her new husband's mercurial moods over the past few days, knew it would simply anger him. Instead, she tucked her bare feet together beneath her skirts and kept her posture carefully straight. "I am fine."

His jaw was rigid. "The doctor said you had heavy bruising."

Caroline's gaze darted to his, her surprise clear on her face. "When did you speak to the doctor?"

His smile was tight, and her pulse hammered in her throat. "He left me a note, per my request."

She didn't understand the edge of bitterness in his voice. Brows coming together, she allowed herself to relax a hair, studying the harshness of his features. "I would have told you, had you asked. My back and side are bruised, but nothing life threatening. As I said the night of the accident."

"You were stiff, the next morning," he ground out. "I remember that much."

Caroline forced down another blush, skin prickling with embarrassment. She'd woken that morning tucked partly beneath Klaus, bruises aching. Embarrassment and outrage had driven her from the bed. If she'd known that it'd be the last real rest she'd have, she might have lingered beneath the lean heat of him.

"You're _heavy_ ," she snapped back, tongue loosened from her exhaustion and temper. He blinked and she knew her face was bright red at his impudence and her indignation, but she'd never learned to hold her tongue when riled. "Did you imagine it was easy pulling you from the wreckage? Of _course_ I was sore the day after. Is that why you've been avoiding me? Never mind. If that was all you required, I'm going to return to my chamber."

She stood, nearly tripped over her gown when Klaus lunged to his feet. He caught her, hands careful as he tugged her upright. Her fingers gripped his shirt and she froze, breath catching in her throat. This was the closest she'd been to him since they'd been married and her eyes lifted slowly to his face.

"I haven't been avoiding you."

Her grip tightened at the rumble in his voice, but she hadn't figured out how to back down to this man. He scraped against her nerves and left them raw, and the memory of his mouth left her over warm. She didn't understand her body's reaction to his presence, and she was embarrassed by how easily he ruined her composure. But in the silent carriage ride to his estate after their quick ceremony, she'd realized how much better this clashing of tempers was than the polite union to Mr. Lockwood that had been in front of her.

"You most certainly _are_ ," Caroline corrected. She bit her lip for a fleeting second, the old habit giving away her nerves. "I know you had no wish to be married…"

A harsh sound and he stepped away from her, taking his hand through his curls. "My absence was no reflection on you, Caroline."

Her name on his tongue startled her. Klaus faced her, and the heat in his eyes left her mouth dry. "I'm sure you heard plenty about my reputation from Mrs. Salvatore. If I'd known she was visiting, we'd have gone to Gretna Green."

There was something tight in his voice, an old rage. She wondered if it had to do with why Mrs. Salvatore had been so delighted by the opportunity to fill Caroline in on all her future husband's gossip. It hadn't surprised her that Klaus had been considered a bit of a rake, with a preference for lonely widows in no need of a husband or heir. Her stomach had gone queasy, at the sheer list of supposed partners, but it had been that last curling smirk, that last sentence as Caroline's hair had been patted into place.

" _I suppose at least the sheer enormity of his wealth should make his status as a bastard more palatable. He'll never inherit, but your Mr. Mikaelson has the devil's own luck. Fitting, that he found himself a pretty merchant's daughter. I imagine you'll fit well together."_

Caroline had despised the spite in the Mrs. Salvatore's voice, had been determined to ignore the maliciousness. Klaus couldn't help his parentage and her early life had taught her that neither money nor status could defend from loneliness. She hadn't spent time in the vicious circles of the Elite, and had she married Tyler, she couldn't have hoped for more than motherhood.

But the bishop had been welcoming, a certain resignation in his eyes when he'd performed the ceremony that Caroline hadn't understood. Mrs. Salvatore had been a witness, as had the bishop's quiet spoken wife. Klaus had told her the bishop owed him a favor, hadn't been likely to turn down his request to marry them.

" _You're angry."_

 _Posture perfectly straight, she kept her eyes on the scenery outside. "Of course I'm angry."_

 _A considering noise, but he said was silent for a moment after. Not that Caroline expected him to explain himself. He'd been a mood since he'd woken that morning, but it hadn't been until Marcel had told him that Caroline had attended him that his temper had blackened._

" _Come now, sweetheart," Mr. Mikaelson drawled. "We both know the moment you chose to stay in our room for a second night you were ruined."_

" _And I told_ you _that your man handled the more personal issues."_

" _Marcel was quite forthcoming regarding your care," he countered lowly. "Do you care so little for your reputation?"_

 _Marcel Gerard had been a surprise for Caroline. She'd known he was helping situate her maid and driver, but it wasn't until Mr. Mikaelson had been unresponsive that she'd realized the extent of his aid. He'd offered to find her transportation to the local clergy, offered her several notes to smooth the way._

 _Caroline had declined. With her driver and maid still laid up, her appearance would raise more problems than if she stayed. She'd never admit it to Mr. Mikaelson, but she'd felt horribly guilty that she hadn't noticed the extent of his injuries. He'd appeared tired when she'd scurried out from under him, teasing her lowly, but it hadn't been until she'd returned to the sleeping chamber, dressed for the day, that she'd realized he was suffering from a fever._

 _Years of caring for her mother had given her a fair bit of knowledge, and so she'd sent Marcel off to collect what she'd needed before attempting to ease Mr. Mikaelson's discomfort._

" _While Marcel is a man of surprising talents," she murmured finally. "The care of the ill did not seem to be one of them."_

 _It had been Marcel's restrained worry that had told Caroline she'd made the correct decision. Temperamental and rude, it was clear there was more to Mr. Mikaelson and Marcel's relationship than was readily apparent. Coupled with the careful if irritable way Mr. Mikaelson had tended her hands, Caroline did not imagine he was a complete cad._

 _But that did not mean she was prepared to forgive him for deciding that marriage was the only recourse to their situation anytime_ soon _._

" _Tell me, Miss Forbes, is the idea of marriage to me so unappealing? I can offer you little status, but you will find you shall lack for little."_

" _Do not imagine to know my reasons for wishing to avoid this sham," Caroline said softly._

" _Do you see yourself in love with your betrothed, then?"_

 _Caroline glanced over, venom poised on her tongue, but his face wasn't mocking. Curious, with something like iron behind his eyes, but he did not mock her. There was tightness to his mouth she didn't understand, but the rigid line of her shoulders eased a hair._

" _No," she admitted freely. "Regardless of your thoughts on my prospects, Mr. Lockwood had done my family a kindness with his offer. Though no bans have been posted, this reflects badly on that kindness."_

 _His eyes were impossible to read. "Regardless, Bishop Jeremy will marry us in a few hours time, Miss Forbes. I believe you'd find that even your kind Mr. Lockwood would balk once he learned the true nature of_ your _kindness. And going forward, sweetheart, perhaps you should call me Klaus, as we will no longer be mere acquaintances."_

 _She looked away, spine stiff. His words were curt, and she didn't know how to feel that he was correct. Thankfully, Mr. Mikaelson said nothing else until they arrived at the small church._

That silence had bothered her, as had his cryptic remark on his status. Not for the first time had Caroline wished her mother's correspondence with her friends had involved more than their discussions of their devoted prayers. The only real knowledge of Klaus' past had been from Elena Salvatore's venomous tongue. She'd seen that Klaus had expected her to know him when he'd mockingly introduced himself, and she felt overwhelmed.

Her husband had wealth. The estate he'd brought her too was well furnished, with extensive grounds and mannerly staff. But these past few days alone had been lonely and she'd no intimate friends in which to write to with the hope for information.

But it was clear to her that the derision that Klaus had spoken with when he'd mentioned maintaining her reputation had been honest. Klaus had no wish to be married, even if he'd inexplicably bullied her into it. Swallowing, Caroline shook her head. "I know I'm not what you wanted, and…"

This time he cut her off by stepping directly into her space, head dipping so his breath ghosted across her mouth. His eyes traced her lips until they parted in a breath, and his gaze lifted back to hers. " _Want_ , sweetheart? My absence should have attested to wanting you _too much_. I should never have allowed myself even a taste of you."

She blinked, utterly thrown by his words and manner. "I don't understand."

Klaus reached for her braid. He spoke in low tones, as his fingers softly unwound her hair. "I knew you were trouble when you stood beside the road and argued with me, regardless of the fact that I was correct. Then there was the matter of your concern for you maid."

She shivered, as his fingers combed through the curls as they were freed, eyes uncertain as he twinned several pieces around his fingers to study in the firelight. "I couldn't have left her there!"

"As you couldn't leave me to be crushed? To suffer through my fever alone?" His eyes returned to her face and her stomach trembled at the way his gaze had gone dark and hot. "As frustrated as I am with your stubbornness, love, and I do have reasons to be grateful for it."

Caroline swallowed at the intensity of his eyes as he studied her. It was the flicker of what she wanted to call affection she did not understand. They hardly knew each other, and what little she did know did not lead her to believe that Klaus was willing to show those sorts of feelings. Just because she'd unexpectedly found herself emotionally entangled did not mean her husband felt the same.

He didn't seem perturbed by her confused silence. Instead, he tugged lightly at the ends of her hair, lips curling. "I was absent these past days, Caroline, because I had arranged to meet with your father."

Caroline stopped breathing.

"Your Mr. Lockwood accompanied him," he continued, gaze steady. "I believe we've come to a suitable arrangement."

Her breath escaped in a rush and she swallowed hard. "What does that mean?"

A flicker of a curve along his mouth. "It means your father will not oppose our marriage and the Lockwoods will not damage your reputation by spreading the tale of a broken engagement."

Bewildered, she shoved strands of her hair away from her face. "But why? You didn't wish to be married! I do not understand why you've gone to such trouble?"

"I am wealthy, but my birth, on the wrong side of the blanket, renders me unacceptable to many in society. Your marriage to Lockwood would have provided you and any children you bear with a far less precarious social status."

Caroline scowled at him. "What status do you refer to? I have no title, no fortune. I have never set foot in London, what do I know of the Ton? My father did not even arrange a sponsor so I could have a season, despite the offers from my late mother's friends."

Klaus eyes flared, temper tightening his cheekbones. But his tone was coolly precise when he spoke. "Perhaps, but your marriage to Mr. Lockwood would have been far more socially correct."

"Yes," Caroline replied just as frostily. "But I do not understand why you are concerned with this _now_? We are wed, an arrangement you were most insistent upon regardless of my protests. Did you imagine that I am so uneducated that I'm unaware of the additional steps that could've been taken? The Lockwoods are not so wealthy that your money and familial connections wouldn't have smoothed over the misunderstandings, regardless of Tyler Lockwoods' complaints. So why choose this avenue if it makes you so unhappy? Why act on my behalf at all?"

"I considered it," Klaus said slowly, fingers twinning in the curls he had not yet released. "I found I could not. You're very beautiful, Caroline, but it was the unexpected steel of your spine, the generosity of your heart that captivated me. Perhaps it would have been a far simpler manner to bribe your betrothed, but a careless man doesn't deserve your warmth, and Lockwood is a fool."

She bit her lip, brows tucked together. "But in the carriage… not once did you give the impression that this was something you _wanted_."

That he wanted _her_ , outside of the physical attraction that even she couldn't deny. Caroline hadn't thought herself as more than an unexpected inconvenience to him, a consequence of that rough kindness he buried so well. But Marcel was loyal for a reason and Klaus taken the time to collect her flowers...

"I lied," Klaus said, as if he wasn't turning her assumptions upside down. "I've never had any use for the examples set by my parents. And a silent, disapproving wife has never appealed to me. I do not believe in fate, Caroline, but I certainly do not consider myself a fool. I've had every intention of keeping you from the moment I woke to your hands on my brow, worry in your eyes."

Temper turned her cheeks red, eyes flashing as she growled at him. "Did you not think to _ask_?"

His gaze narrowed, head angled with calculation. "Would you have said yes?"

Caroline opened her mouth and then closed it. Embarrassment mingled with her temper, and she clenched her hands. The girl who'd headed off into the sunset to meet her betrothed would have said _no_. She did not choose her marriage but she loved her father, and she would never have betrayed him in such a way.

But the woman who'd survived the wreck? Who had cared for Klaus through the night and the next morning, and who had found herself holding a wild bouquet of color he'd fetched just for her? She'd have said _yes_ if he'd _asked_.

The past week had taught her much of herself, and before she'd have counted herself lucky to be bored in her marriage. But politeness and indifference no longer appealed to her. How could they, when this man had prodded and charmed, his temper a living creature beneath his skin? Caroline didn't know if they'd be happy, if two strong personalities were capable of coexisting in confined spaces, but she could no more return to the girl she'd been than she could marry Tyler.

"I don't want a polite marriage," she blurted, instead of answering his question directly. Those dark eyes never wavered, and she licked her lips nervously. "I do not wish to be a mere convenience."

"No?" Klaus murmured shifting so the edge of his nightshirt brushed against hers. His hand lifted and cupped her cheek, thumb brushing along her cheekbone. "I confess, love, I am hardly a polite man."

Pulse loud in her her ears, Caroline scraped her teeth over her lip. "I know."

"Would you have said yes, Caroline?"

Nervous, skin prickling with an awareness she couldn't explain, Caroline nodded hesitantly. "Yes."

Klaus' eyes blazed, but his touch remained gentle as his other hand lifted to cradle her hot face. "Then why the sleeplessness?"

She shifted, to pull away, but he did not let her. Frowning at his determined expression, she lowered her eyes. Caroline spoke to line of his throat, gaze focusing on the flesh usually hidden. "I find my dreams are not conducive to sleep."

"The accident?" Klaus rumbled, thumbs tracing her cheekbones. The caress was gentle, his eyes filled with concern. Her heart started to pound, as she took in the entirety of his expression, and her toes curled at the softness she found. Her words were husky when she spoke, tongue swiping across her lip.

"Not all of them."

Klaus stilled, and the sudden blooming heat in his eyes, the change in the air between them, turned her breathing shallow. His words were low, voice a rumble of sound, and her stomach clenched.

"Tell me, Caroline. This marriage you wish for, does this lack of _politeness_ extend to the bedchamber?"

Face burning, fingers gripping her gown, Caroline shuddered out a breath. Before that kiss she'd have dreaded such a possibility, but Klaus' touch had made her burn. That slick, unexpected brush of his tongue across her lip had set off a thousand butterflies in her stomach. It certainly hadn't been _polite_ and she wanted to do it again.

"I don't…" she fumbled with her words. "My mother… I don't know what to _do_."

"Ah," Klaus murmured. "That is a matter which can be remedied, sweetheart. But do you wish for it to be?"

Gathering her courage, she watched him from beneath her lashes and admitted to the thoughts that had plagued her as she lay in her cold bed. Now, in the firelight, the lean lines of him were utterly tempting. "I want to touch you."

Instead of answering, he lowered his hands and removed his nightshirt with one smooth roll of his muscle. Her stomach went hot and tight, as her eyes widened. Klaus reached for her trembling hands, pressed them against the breadth of his chest.

He was shockingly warm, and Caroline pressed the pads of her fingers reflexively against the lean muscle of him. Klaus made a low noise, and she rushed looking at his face. "This is all right?"

His lips curled into something teasing, but the glitter in his eyes threatened to drown her. "Hmmm, but you're allowed to move your hands, sweetheart."

Carefully, lip caught tightly between her teeth, Caroline decided to take him at his word. Carefully at first, and then with more confidence, she traced the lines and edges of him with her fingertips. She startled the first time he shuddered, watched fascinated as his abdomen flexed when she used the tiniest bite of her nails. He was so smooth, and the feel of him heated her blood in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment.

But her growing fascination was stilled as she carefully traced the healing wound on his side. The skin was no longer inflamed with the infection that had caused his fever, and he didn't flinch as she carefully touched it. Caroline glanced up at him, face uncertain.

"Is this a good idea? What if this…"

He caught her hand and brought it to the heat of his mouth, lips lingering on the pounding of her pulse. "It is fine."

Caroline huffed. He smiled at her irritation. He kissed her fingertips, a unexpected brush of his tongue sending a shiver through her body.

"I'd like to touch you," Klaus rasped. His gaze dragged down her body, tongue slick against his bottom lip. "May I?"

She opened her mouth, closed it. Shyness and unease tangled in her stomach, but she nodded once. He'd allowed her to absorb him through her hands, it was only fair that she offer him the same?

Klaus took his time, unbuttoning her gown and each undone button left her trembling with awareness. When the gown slid off her shoulders to pool on the ground, she tensed. Her nipples were drawn tight, and the flush of embarrassment had colored her chest pink.

But he didn't reach for her. Eyes darting to his face, she swallowed when she discovered his gaze on hers. "Is something wrong?"

"If you do not wish me to touch you Caroline, I won't." He watched her with dark eyes, and her breath was ragged in her throat at the restraint he was not hiding. The edge in his voice was hard, and that vicious control was evident around his eyes, and in the clench of his muscles.

Caroline felt out of her depth, the few snatches of conversation she'd heard from the maids' talk suggesting this wasn't how things usually progressed. But she wanted him to touch her, and something in her chest eased at his apparent restraint.

"I liked how you kissed me," she blurted, spine straightening. "And I want you to touch me. I just don't know what to _do_."

He stepped forward, until the tips of her breasts almost brushed the heat of his chest. His fingers cupped the curve of her cheek, and Klaus dipped his head until his mouth grazed the edge of hers. "If I kiss you, it won't be polite."

Caroline closed the distance between them. It was an awkward press of lips, but then Klaus moved a fraction and her hands moved to grip his shoulders of their own accord. Her nails dug into his skin when his tongue slid along her lip and a low noise escaped her as her mouth opened. Klaus' chest rumbled, his hand moved to her hip and the distance between them disappeared. She shuddered at the feel of his skin against hers, arching instinctively. Her nipples moved against his skin and she whimpered as her head spun.

Klaus lifted his mouth, lips red and kiss wet. He took a small step back, so that the crackling fire painted her skin with color. Eyes lifting to hers, he reached out and gently cupped her breasts, thumbs rotating delicately over her taunt nipples. Caroline gripped his upper arms tightly, knees weak as his fingers shaped her breasts.

"You're so utterly love, Caroline," Klaus told her. "I want to paint you like this."

Her face turned scarlet, and she stared at him. Another slow brush of his thumb and she shuddered. "You paint."

His smile was dimpled. "Hmm, and you are a glorious muse. We'll work up to it."

She spluttered, but then Klaus was sinking to his knees. Caroline was breathless with a want she couldn't name, as he looked up at her. Then his hands were gentle on her hips, urging her to turn. Following his silent demand, she allowed him to turn her so her back faced the fireplace. She understood when Klaus brushed the length of her hair over her shoulder, the cool strands an unintentional caress across her breast.

His hands were gentle as he smoothed fingertips down skin that was rarely touched. She knew the bruises had started to turn green and yellow, that they were unsightly. "They do not hurt."

A rumble of a noise, and she swallowed hard.

"They are much better," she told him, her words tripping off her tongue at his continued silence. "I am fine."

"How close I came to losing you before I even had you," Klaus rasped. She went motionless at his words, her lungs frozen at the roughness in his voice. The sudden gentleness of his lips brushing between her shoulder blades left her eyes burning. She closed her eyes tightly as he slowly moved down each knot of her spine, kisses lingering. Her throat closed with emotion, even as her skin prickled with awareness. She shuddered at the wet brush of his tongue just above the curve of her backside.

"You are certain?" Klaus demanded, voice taunt.

"Yes."

"Then we should move this to the bed."

"The bed," Caroline repeated, blinking at him as he stood and moved around her. Klaus grinned, a quick flash of dimples, and lifted her against him. She gasped as he easily deposited her, and his hands encouraged her until she reclined on his pillows. Settled, she swallowed hard at the way he looked at her.

Klaus looked hungry.

"You will tell me if you do not like something," he ordered firmly as he followed her onto the bed. She nodded, breathless as he loomed over her. Caroline did not expect him to suck her nipple into his mouth, the hot lave of his tongue arching through her. Her hands fisted in the bedding, spine bowing under the exquisite sensation. He hummed around her breast, and one hand came up to toy with the other, carefully rolling her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"Klaus," she gasped as he released her breast, shuddering at the scrape of his beard. His eyes shifted to her face, and the harsh lines of arousal left her inhaling sharply. "I'm not _doing_ anything."

Klaus thumbed her nipple, eyes locked onto her face. "No? I disagree. The noises you make as I touch you, the way you feel? I assure you, Caroline, you are doing much to arouse me."

"But I want to touch too," she murmured.

Klaus shuddered, eyes sliding shut for a moment. When they opened, they were glimmering with heat. Gaze holding hers, he pressed his lips against her quivering abdomen. "I wouldn't last. The moment you put your hands on me, I'm certain I would lose control. For now, sweetheart, what I desire is to concentrate on you."

Brows coming together, she opened her mouth to protest, but Klaus was suddenly pressed hotly against her front and his mouth caught hers. Her lips parted on a gasp when he slotted his thigh between hers, but was soon distracted by the slow seduction of Klaus' mouth. The slight sting of teeth, the slick feel of his tongue were made so much better when her mouth parted beneath his.

She tangled her fingers in his hair, lost herself in his mouth until the unexpected sensation of his fingers on her breast had her jolting, hips rolling against his thigh. She tore her mouth away with a cry, shuddering through the unexpected sensation.

In response, his thigh rocked against her and Caroline whimpered. Klaus smiled, repeating the motion while kissing slowing down her chin. "It's better if you move as well, sweetheart."

It took her a moment to understand his words as his lips moved along her throat in a delicious distraction. Then her hands tightened in his hair, at the scandalous suggestion. His gaze flickered to her face, and his smile was wicked and coaxing.

"Trust me."

Shuddering at another rough stroke of his body against hers, Caroline experimentally rocked. Klaus hummed a note of approval, scraped his teeth down her throat while his fingers continued to carefully tease her breast. She started to pant and her shyness disappeared, at each rough movement of her hips.

A hot, sucking kiss at her throat and Klaus shifted. Caroline complained, body burning for things she couldn't explain, and he licked his lips. She could feel the stubble burn on her throat, and her breasts ached. She was spread open and wet, body flushed and Caroline could feel where she'd begun to sweat.

Klaus looked at her as if she was beautiful, as if he wanted so much more if her.

"I want to touch you."

Trying to clear the haze of her brain, she blinked at him uncertainly. "You aren't touching me now?"

The slow greed of his smile speared through her. "You're very wet, love, but I'm sure you've been told to expect your first to be painful? I'm no bumbling boy, to leave you unsatisfied, and there are ways to reduce the discomfort, but you will need to trust me."

"All right," she murmured. She raked her teeth over her lip. "Will it hurt?"

"No," Klaus assured her, hand sliding to her abdomen. "But you will tell me if you are uncomfortable in anyway."

She'd barely had time to do more than acknowledge his words and nod, then his hand was sliding far lower than she'd ever imagined. His eyes never left hers as he brushed softly against her most intimate of places, the low appreciative groan sending another flare of heat through her. Then his fingers were brushing where she'd rocked against him, and her spine ached without her permission, toes digging into the bedding.

Klaus said something in that low, rich tone of his but she struggled to understand him over the thundering of her heartbeat in her ears. Her eyes flew open at the sensation of a finger slipping inside her, his thumb continuing its madness.

"Klaus," she gasped, body clenching down as her hips rocked against him. Trembling, her hands fisted in the sheets, she cried out as a second finger slowly joined the first.

Klaus shuddered between her thighs, eyes nearly black with desire as he watched his fingers slowly slide in and out of her clenching body. The pleasure was almost overwhelming, body straining for something she did not understand. Caroline nearly sobbed in complaint when he pulled his fingers free. Her whine died in her throat as he brought his glistening hand to his mouth, and licked.

She stared at him with wide, desperate eyes.

"I want a better taste," Klaus breathed, voice a growl.

"But…" Caroline started, voice high in surprise. A wicked curve of his lips and that glorious tongue was suddenly pressed where his thumb had been. Her brain went perfectly blank. Another slow lick, and her hips jolted, and his hands held her still.

"I can stop," he told her, tongue tracing his wet lip. "Do you want me to stop?"

Chest heaving, she stared down at him. "This… this is _what people do_?"

"Hmmm," he rumbled. Gaze turning greedy in a way left her overheated body molten, he smiled at her, dimples sinful. "Did you still want to touch?"

Caroline nodded slowly, captivated by the way his apparent desire for her. The way his lips caught the light, wet with _her_. It was shocking and arousing, and she hadn't known it was possible to feel like this. That you would talk, that you could be so enraptured by another person.

"Touch your breasts for me."

Her lips parted in surprise, and Caroline stared at him with wide eyes. "Touch my…"

"I want you to cup your breasts, pinch your nipples." He lowered his lashes, so only a hint of blue showed. "Do what feels good."

Uncertain, but finding she wanted to see the same pleasure on his face that he was making her feel, Caroline studied his face. "You would enjoy that?"

Klaus held her gaze without shame. "Very much so."

Caroline was certain that this was a sin. But until a few moments ago, the idea of Klaus' mouth near her hips would have shocked her as well. She squirmed, body growing slicker at the reminder of his tongue, and she slowly lifted her palms. Curving her fingers around her breasts, the way she recalled him touching her, she squeezed carefully beneath Klaus' enraptured gaze.

"Like this?" She managed, lashes fluttering.

"Touch your nipples," he breathed. She did as he asked and gasped, tugging at touch harder when his throat moved with the harshness of his swallow. Watching him enjoy her like this left her desperate, and each sensation went straight to her belly.

He rewarded her soft moan by dipping his head and returning his tongue to where she was dripping. It was madness, his mouth and each movement of her hands. Then those long fingers slowly pressed back inside her, and the high pitched keen wouldn't embarrassed her if she hadn't been riding the edge of _something_.

Something hot was coiled low in her abdomen, and the tighter it wound, the less control she had. Her hands fell away, as her hips rocked mindlessly, breathing harsh as sweat dripped along her skin. An unexpectedly harsh pull from Klaus mouth, and she found herself wailing through a wave of _bliss_. It rushed through her in a wave, locking her trembling body into place until it finally released her. Staring up at the ceiling as she slowly regained her senses, Caroline blinked at Klaus as settled between her thighs.

He'd removed his pants.

"I need you," he rasped before he pressed pressed his mouth, hot and demanding, against hers. He tasted salty and she shuddered, as she realized what flavored his tongue. She clenched down ona new wave of heat, and the tip of his erection pushed against her.

A movement of his hips, and she shuddered as he filled her, muscles stretching almost painfully at the new sensation. Klaus pinched her nipple, pressed frantic kisses down her chin and her body clenched at the stimulation. His teeth caught her skin in a bite but and she jolted, nails digging into the muscles of his back.

" _Caroline_."

She tried to grip the slick muscles of his back. Each breath reminded her of the fullness of him inside her, and she gasped out her plea. "Please, I _need_ …"

He shifted, and thrust slowly, muscles iron beneath his skin. Whimpering, legs curling around his waist, Caroline dug in with her nails. "More. I want _more_."

This time, she welcomed the tightening in her belly. Where his mouth and her hands had left her reeling, this was _better_. Klaus was hot and lean between her thighs, pressed along her stomach and chest, mouth a brand on her throat. She couldn't help her cries, as he ground down, body burning up. A shudder, and Klaus shifted a hand between them, brushing against that delicious point on her body, and her world broke open.

Klaus groaned her name, body trembling as violently as her own before as he followed her over that edge. They laid there for several moments, breathing harsh. Klaus finally lifted his head and Caroline carefully,brought shaking fingertips to the line of his jaw. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"I liked it," Caroline told him decisively.

Dimples and sin, he smiled at her. "Good. It gets better."

She blinkers d he took that opportunity to shift away from her. Instead of abandoning her, she found herself tucked against him beneath the bedclothes a moment later. When she finally found her voice, it was high. "Better?"

Fingers trailing along her nape in a gentle but possessive hold. "Hmmm, yes. Trust me."

She did. The heat of his body, and the sated feeling in her bones left her drowsy. Klaus didn't seem to mind, smoothing her hair. "Now what?"

"You stay here, with me," Klaus said softly. "In the morning, we will talk about everything else."

Her lashes were heavy, and the soothing sounds of Klaus' heartbeat were distracting. "Such as?"

A soft rumble of a laugh, and Caroline fell asleep to Klaus telling her of the places he'd take her, if she wished.

That night, she didn't dream.

 _ **Please Comment**_


	25. Light a Fire

So this story started as a possibly highwayman-dragon fic and morphed into klaroline during the attempt to break Klaus' curse. Yeah. I don't know how it got here either. But I blame lalainajanes . Thank you justanotherfiveminutes for looking it over!

Written for the 25daysofklaroline: klaroline + any time period!

Note: So in TVD, Katerina was born in 1473, which means that events happened technically very late in the 15th Century. This is only important because of the use of firearms in this story. I've fudged a tiiiiiny bit, but let's assume that Caroline's family would have access to something very similar to a Spanish Arequebusiers, that it's slightly smaller and a touch more reliable (and not a muzzle loader, although they totally were. Sadly, paper cartridges were introduced almost a century later, but I'd already written it in, and oops? Magic?)

* * *

Caroline knew that the ritual had failed as her carriage rolled to a halt.

Mouth tight, she stared at the curtain she'd been forbidden from moving, ears straining against the spells that kept her deaf to the outside world. It was the same sense of dread she'd felt the morning her mother had died and later, when word of her husband's hunting accident had reached her. Genevieve shifted restlessly across from her, red hair glinting in the low light, cheekbones sharp with unease. Honestly, Caroline didn't blame her. She'd have been nervous too, if she'd been in the witch's situation.

The monster who had stopped them wasn't known for forgiveness.

And they'd failed.

Not allowing herself to second guess her decision, she hastily tugged off her gloves, fingers trembling from more than just the cold. Reaching beneath her seat, she groped blindly. Genevieve's eyes darted towards her, the skin around her eyes tight with strain.

"What are you doing?"

Caroline glanced up only once, her fingers wrapped around cold metal. "Negotiating."

Genevieve blinked at her, as if she was a silly child. "He doesn't negotiate."

Caroline didn't bother replying. Instead, she double checked that the firearm was loaded correctly. It was terribly unladylike to know how to shoot, but Lady Elizabeth Forbes had been unconcerned about propriety over safety. Her father had avoided his family, spent his time traveling and hunting monsters, so he'd had expressed no opinion. It was how William had found, and then lost, Caroline's now deceased husband, after all.

But her mother, she'd taken the time to correct Caroline, over and over again, until her daughter had been able to hit what she aimed at more times than not.

 _"Our reputations are useless, Caroline, if we are dead. There are monsters in this world that we cannot always look to others to protect us from."_

It was the first real inclination that the things that her father hated were real.

The witch's eyes widened, and she swallowed harshly. "Are you mad? You'll only enrage him."

"Yes," Caroline replied. "If he's hurt any of my horses, I'll shoot him on principle."

The door opened at her words, and Klaus Mikaelson stood with one booted foot braced on the carriage, brow arched. His tumble of curls looked windblown, with glittering flecks of snow, and his eyes were dark, the monster edging into his gaze. He'd forgone shaving, and the day's growth of a beard was annoyingly appealing, even knowing she could be looking at her death. There was an intensity to his anger she hadn't felt before, and a band wrapped around her lungs as he smiled. Dangerously amused, it would only take the smallest misstep for the rage to explode.

"Come now, love, do you think so poorly of me?"

Caroline kept her grip on her firearm. "Yes."

His lashes lowered, something volatile crawling through his gaze. Her next breath went ragged, shoulders and neck rigid as he spoke. "Hmm. I've no quarrel with your horses, Caroline. They are loyal to the company they keep."

Her stomach knotted, at the implication that she and those around her were not. His smile widened, shifting to something violent as he glanced at Genevieve. Caroline very deliberately cocked the hammer. Genevieve had spoken truly, shooting him would only leave him enraged, but it might also buy them time if the witch struck when the bullet hit. It might even allow Caroline the opportunity to discover why she would die.

Find out the secrets that her father and the witch sitting beside her had kept.

Klaus' eyes returned to her face, and he arched a brow. "Do you wish to repeat our first meeting then, Caroline? I shall not be quite so indulgent this time."

Her heartbeat kicked in her chest at the edge of warning in Klaus' voice. Her tongue snaked across her lips as he continued to watch her, the memory of blood and bone leaving her cold. Her fingers remained steady, she refused to flinch.

"No. But if necessary, I will shoot you."

His dimples cut against her skin, and she barely held her shudder as his eyes bled red and black, the edge of his fangs sharp in the low light. Her pulse thundered in her ears so loudly she nearly missed Genevieve's tense words.

"It won't kill him," Genevieve said bitterly. "Nothing will."

Klaus laughed, the sudden picture of amused indulgence. Caroline watched him warily, uncertain of this sudden shift in mood. Crossing his arms, he grinned conspiratorially at Genevieve. "Ah, but pretty Caroline already knows that, don't you, love?"

Only the stiffness in her hands from the cold kept her fingers from trembling. His sudden shift in posture allowed her to see the dark stains along his cravat. Catching her lip tightly between her teeth, she watched Genevieve straighten, bravado firming the witch's posture.

"Why are you here? We are no longer your business."

The monster leaned closer, and the rage she'd sensed earlier returned to his gaze. Genevieve's fingers tightened, and for a moment, Caroline didn't matter. The full intensity of Klaus' gaze pinned Genevieve to the seat, and the softness of his voice when he spoke sent a shudder down Caroline's spine.

"It appears I've been betrayed." Klaus murmured, lashes veiling his gaze. "Sweet Katerina has escaped, and my curse remains unbroken."

Genevieve went white, her lips bloodless as she sat, silent. Klaus seemed unbothered by her continued silence, his hands pressing together in front of him as his head canted to the side. "Tell me, Genevieve. You wouldn't happen to know how such a thing came about, would you?"

Caroline's heart lurched into her throat as the witch remained frozen. And they thought she was mad? Her father's desperation the night past, and Genevieve's cagey panic suddenly made a terrible kind of sense. Swallowing hard, she released the hammer and set the gun aside. Genevieve glanced at her, eyes wild, and Caroline shook her head.

"If you aided Katerina in anyway, I cannot help you." Not this time. Caroline had fought to hard for her life to throw it away. Perhaps later, she'd feel regret, but not now.

"I do enjoy that pragmatism of yours, sweetheart." Klaus said with a violent flash of dimples. Casually, he leaned forward and curled his fingers around Genevieve's throat when her lips parted to speak. She struggled, her nails clawing at his grip. "It would be a pity if it lead you to betraying me as well. I'll return shortly to find out."

Easily, as if he was moving a child, Klaus lifted Genevieve by her throat and pulled her out of the carriage. He shut the door behind him, and Caroline's heartbeat was a drum. Shuddering, she blinked rapidly as she tried to understand the way his words had gouged into her skin.

How strongly she'd reacted to that hint of suggested betrayal.

Klaus Mikaelson was a monster. More, he relished that monstrosity. So why did she hate him a little, for suggesting that she could betray him? That morning, she'd known something was wrong when her father had woken her to demand she dress for immediate travel. Unease had settled low in her stomach when he'd refused to tell her where they were going. It'd been made worse when Genevieve had appeared to help her pack.

Caroline had gotten no answers, even after the carriage had lurched away. Part of her had fervently hoped that this meant that her bargain had finally been met, that the blood vow that had haunted her mother's family was fulfilled. But the tenseness in Genevieve had not faded as they left the grounds of her estate.

Now she knew why. Swallowing, she curled her fingers tightly to withstand the temptation to move the curtain. She couldn't hear anything, but her imagination was vivid. She wasn't sure if seeing more violence would be worse than picturing it.

Needing a distraction, she carefully stowed her gun. It was useless to her now. Glancing around, she pressed her lips tightly together and pulled her gloves back on before patting her hair back into place. With nothing left to do, she stared at her skirts and tried to make sense of the tangled thoughts in her head.

If Genevieve had betrayed Klaus, so had her father. Guts twisting, she pressed her shaking hands together and tried to understand why. Her father hated Klaus, but hatred had never blinded William before. She'd mentally taken apart the situation her ancestors had left her multiple times, and the only resolution had been to cooperate to the best of her ability.

She didn't pity Klaus. It hadn't even been sympathy that had coiled in her chest as she slowly deduced the why's behind his actions. He was a night terror given shape, and he required neither of those emotions from her. What he demanded was unrelenting loyalty, but that was not the same as being loyal for this one task.

And she had been.

Even Genevieve's arrival could not changed the meticulous chessboard Klaus had concocted. Her father's witch had merely been another pawn. She'd witnessed both Klaus and his elder brother weave a complicated web, that no one should've been able to escape. She'd felt pity for Katerina, even though she'd found very little to like about the girl. But what choice did she have? Klaus had made it abundantly clear that first night that he was in control, and that her failure to oblige him would mean a long and tortuous death.

She'd been fourteen at their first meeting, had stood mute and frightened as Klaus had complimented her father on having such a lovely child. William had looked at Klaus with such revulsion and fear, she'd known to hold her tongue. Her mother had been far more practical, had merely watched Klaus with hard eyes.

 _"You must never forget what he is, Caroline," Elizabeth told her very, very softly long after the monster had left. "Very few ever see the truth of a devil until it is too late. In this, you have the advantage. We are useful, so we live. Never doubt that could change in a moment."_

Months later, her mother was gone, and she'd been the last of the line that owed Klaus. Standing next to her mother's grave, she'd seen the truth of it in her father's eyes. If he could've killed her then, destroyed her without suffering any consequences, he would have.

For a time, it seemed like they'd been given a reprieve. But Caroline never forgot that her father had wished for her death. And she remembered the face of the monster who could one day walk into her life and demand his price.

Six months after her husband's death, and six months after her eighteenth birthday, Klaus had reappeared. Time hadn't changed so much as an eyelash on him, and her father had been pale and tight lipped as she joined them. Klaus had smiled at her, dimples and even teeth on full display. Underneath the charm was a jarring calculation, and what might have been a hint of admiration.

She trusted none of it.

That had just seemed to amuse him.

 _"Come now, sweetheart, this is hardly a funeral. Not yet, at least. I've come to claim a favor that is owed to me, and I'm afraid your father is resistant to paying it."_

 _Wary, because you didn't simply make a pact with a devil, she squared her shoulders. "What favor do we owe?"_

 _There was a flicker of something satisfied at her we, that she couldn't explain. But it jolted through her and she set her teeth to hold her gasp._

 _"Your mother's death was an unfortunate inconvenience," Klaus said casually, as if he wasn't wielding a rusty knife in her chest. "Since she is no longer here to fulfill her part of her blood bargain, it falls to you."_

 _A million questions lingered on her tongue, and she set her teeth against them. Something curious twisted behind his eyes, and Caroline lifted her chin. "What do you imagine I have to give?"_

 _"Nothing sordid," he returned easily, eyes glimmering with sudden, mocking humor. "I merely need you to make a friend."_

 _She doubted it would be something simple, that it would be anything kind. Monsters did not care for their prey. "Who?"_

 _There was nothing human about this smile. His dimples only emphasized the blade of his lips, and fear wrapped bands around her lungs. "Katerina Petrova."_

 _Her father protested, his words filled with temper, but Caroline had known she wasn't being asked. She'd been told. She also knew without it being said that it was her life, and the lives of everyone she loved, that were now at risk._

 _Katerina Petrova._

 _Caroline knew of the girl. She'd caused a stir when she'd arrived in London on the favor of an unnamed benefactor. She'd heard that Katerina was abrasive with a sharp tongue, two traits that did not endear her to suitors. But she dressed with a daring style Caroline thought she could've admired, and it took a certain brashness to gain attention in London._

 _Her reputation could hardly suffer for being seen in the girl's company, and it hadn't mattered. Agreement was her only choice. But Caroline had learned from her mother, and bending was not breaking. Angling her head, she held those eyes._

 _"As you wish."_

Klaus had smiled, slow and delighted, and continued to watch her with that terrifying calculation in his eyes until she had excused herself. In order for any sort of plan to be arranged, she'd first need an introduction. It would take some finagling to manage it discreetly, and with believable circumstances, but Caroline knew she'd manage. A widow was afforded a small amount of freedom, after all.

What she had not expected was for Klaus to decide to speak to her alone. She been writing the first of several letters, when there had been a noise on her balcony. Temper had stolen her reason, and jaw set, she'd grasped her mother's firearm. It was one thing for him to demand what he felt her family owed him, but she would not be terrorized.

So she shot him.

Klaus had laughed, blood and bone decorating her balcony, his shirt ruined as he approached her. She'd stood pale and stubborn, fingers curled tightly around her pistol and he'd wiped blood from her chin and licked his fingers clean.

 _"Your aim needs work, sweetheart, if you mean to hit my heart. Wrong side of the chest."_

 _His mocking tone straightened Caroline's spine, and she angrily held those red eyes. "I hit exactly what I aimed for."_

 _Tongue snaking across his lips, both brows arched as he considered her face. "Did you?"_

 _She ignored his question, fired back her own. "Why are you here?"_

 _Hands clasped behind his back, chest a ruined mess, he gave a half bow, eyes bright with amusement. "Why, to plan, of course."_

And he'd simply invited himself into her room and sprawled across any surface he deemed desirable. Night after night, he invaded her room and picked apart every action she took. It only seemed to delight him when she pushed back, and no matter how hard she struggled to hold her tongue, his drawling condescending mockery plucked at her temper.

Klaus was not the first man who'd thought himself the master of her personal space, but she was determined that he'd be the last. It'd didn't matter that something about him rubbed against her nerves, that she herself admiring the convoluted workings of his mind a strange fascination. She was nothing but a pretty trap to him, and she was determined to survive the experience.

It'd been exhausting work. Her daylight hours spent carefully arranging matters to suit Klaus. Her early nights spent defending every decision, every step. Even sleep did not bring her respite, Klaus somehow finding her even there. She was no stranger to activities between a husband and wife, her husband's appetites had not been easily satisfied, but her dreams had lent themselves to a different kind of intimacy.

Then, three nights ago, when she'd expected her maid's quick fingers in her hair to unwind her complicated hairdo post-ball, she'd found Klaus. Spine stiff, she'd held steady only through force of will as he slowly removed each pin, her breath unsteady in her throat. Not even her husband had claimed such privileges.

 _"The moon is in two days."_

 _She bit the inside of her lip, to hold her shudder as his rough fingertips brushed down the nape of her neck. "I know."_

 _His lips curved, and she startled beneath him as Klaus ran his hands through the length of her hair, and then began to meticulously braid it. It was different, in some indecipherable way, to have his hands in her hair instead of her maid's. Each tug, each brush of his body against hers, lit an awareness low in her belly._

 _"Regrets?"_

 _She lifted her gaze, caught a glimpse of her red cheeks and heavy lidded eyes, and forced herself to meet his shadowed gaze. "As if you'd care."_

 _"It's dangerous," he murmured, wrapping the length of her braid around his knuckles. "Telling me what I find worth my time, Caroline."_

 _"Yet," she replied, voice soft but firm. "You do not deny it."_

 _Klaus laughed softly. "You're brave, Caroline. Perhaps that will save you."_

 _Before she could respond, he lifted her hair to his lips and lingered for a long moment while she watched him from startled eyes. Finally, he released her, stepping into the shadows with a low warning._

 _"The Ritual will be completed tomorrow, love. Do not betray me. It would be a pity, to remove your head."_

Now she sat in her carriage stiff from cold, knowing that her father was dead. She opened her eyes and studied her hands now knowing how much of the blood would rest on her on. Katerina had escaped. She wondered if Klaus would tell her how he'd died, before he killed her.

She flinched as Klaus ripped open the carriage. There was a smear of blood on his mouth, but his eyes were blue again as he stepped inside. Sprawling across from her, he dominated the small space. Her pulse kicked as his fingers went to his cravat, and he unknotted it carelessly.

Underneath them, the carriage lurched forward.

"Did you kill her?"

Klaus smiled, tongue sliding up across the blood on his lips with a pleased hum. "I considered it. But she still has some use. For now."

Caroline's stomach knotted, as she absorbed his words.

"And my father?"

It was a strain, not to trace the line of his throat with her eyes. To not stare at the tantalizing glimpse of his chest. Klaus might've invited all sorts of whispers of impropriety by being in her room, but he'd always been fully clothed. This change, his carelessness with his dress, rattled her. Teeth set, she held the violence of his gaze and ignored her body's reaction to his dishabille.

"It's a pity," Klaus mused, dropping the ruined cloth against the carriage seat. "I'd have enjoyed butchering him myself, but sometimes one must delegate. Have you ever been betrayed by someone you love, Caroline? Felt the utter horror when the one you've shared your most intimate desires with turned against you?"

Her fingers pressed hard into her palms. "Is that not what you hoped I'd do with Katerina?"

His head tilted and his eyes burned against her skin until she felt exposed. There was no defense against at the way he peeled her flesh from bone. Caroline's mouth ran dry as his temper changed into something far more covetous. "And does it bother you, Caroline? That you crawled beneath her skin, picked away at her hopes and dreams, lured her as bait for a trap she should have blindly walked into?"

There was something almost menacing in his voice, a touch of what might have been jealousy she did not understand. "No."

A thoughtful glance from beneath his lashes. "No?"

Caroline took a careful breath, and lifted her chin. Maybe a better person would have regretted what she had planned for Katerina. Perhaps she should have. But she couldn't find any, as Klaus pinned her with his gaze. "No, I do not feel remorse for Katerina. She was not mine to regret."

Klaus arched a brow and leaned forward, close enough to touch, to smell. The red faded from his eyes, but it did nothing to muffle the intensity of his gaze. "And Genevieve? Is the witch yours?"

She froze as he picked up one of her fisted hands, lashes dark as his gaze lowered. Caroline swallowed hard, as he teased her fingers to open and began to lazily remove her glove. "I do not understand."

His gaze flicked to her face as her glove fell away, his thumb stroking across her chilled palm. "Would you have held her death against me?"

She stared at him in confusion, brows tucked together. "Why does that matter? You did not care of my opinion, when you removed her from the carriage."

His tongue swiped his along his lip. "I find myself most curious, Caroline. You courted Katerina with your friendship, but only look at me with apathy when I speak of her. Yet, Genevieve, who helped your father betray me, who your father hoped would keep you away from me, she momentarily earned your defense."

"I did not know my father's plan," Caroline said lowly.

He clucked his tongue. "Come now, love. You were not surprised, when I stopped the carriage. Tell me why?"

She compressed her lips, stared at him flatly as she pulled her hand free. "Why should I expect you to believe me?"

Klaus leaned back, and arched a brow while he considered her. His rage hadn't abated, but whatever reason had allowed him to force a deal from Genevieve remained just behind his eyes. There was no charm now, just deadly calculation.

"Did you betray me, Caroline?"

"No," she said bluntly, body stiff. "But I hardly expect you to believe me."

"No?" He replied, lashes shielding his eyes for a long moment. "You smell of soap, of anger and fear, a hint of arousal, but no deceit."

She blinked. "What?"

His lips curled slowly, just a hint of dimple, and that quickly, his temper shifted and what she read in his eyes had her pulse skipping. "Humans are terrible liars. They cannot conceal the skipping of their hearts, the stink of sweat. There are a thousand small ways your body betrays you every day, if only you had the senses to perceive them. But you, Caroline, your body does not speak of betrayal."

Embarrassment was hot in her cheeks, that he could read her body so easily when she didn't understand her own reactions. Stubbornly, she angled her chin. "How did Katerina escape?"

His eyes bled red, veins stark. "She tricked another vampire into giving her blood, and then killed herself."

Caroline opened her mouth and then closed it, swallowing. She wondered at the terror Katerina must have felt, to be pushed to suicide and the hope of vampirism to run. She wondered what it meant of herself, that she was angry that Katerina had escaped. That by saving her life, Katerina had left more than one body behind her.

She caught her lip between her teeth, studied the glitter of his gaze. "You believe my father aided her?"

"He warned Katerina of the ritual," Klaus said bluntly. "Confessed to his part quite readily, when given the chance. Your father may be resistant to being compelled, sweetheart, but those around him are not."

There was something vicious in his voice, eyes sharp and devouring, and she swallowed hard. Rage, and a hint of something more, something worse. Vulnerability turned men savage.

"You've left me nowhere to return too," Caroline said tightly, as she realized the extent of the slaughter he'd left behind. "If you do not believe I have betrayed you, what is the purpose of this?"

"I cannot allow loose ends," Klaus said easily, but his gaze never left her face. "Particularly now that I know the extent of your father's work. But first, tell me, what have you gleaned these past weeks? I want to know every thought that has flitted through your agile mind."

Caroline's fingers tightened, and she finally looked away. She knew he wasn't asking, that his words were a thinly veiled demand. Swallowing, she chose her words carefully. "My father hated you."

"Of course he did," Klaus murmured. "I had a… hand in arranging your parents marriage, after all. A blow, to such a man, to lose what I imagine he thought was his freedom. I believe it was made quite a lot worse when your mother bore him a girl."

Her head jerked around and she gaped at him. "What?"

"I needed bait," he said easily. "It was only a matter of time before the doppelganger made an appearance, and I needed someone who could slide inside her inner circle. Your line has been producing daughters for centuries. It was also an amusement to watch your father, he who had chosen to hunt the supernatural was made impotent by his wife. As long as her bloodline lived, he could not destroy what she was bound to. Witches are particular about their revenge, and your father had many enemies."

"Centuries?" she whispered. "You've breed us like horses to be bait, for centuries?"

"I've ensured that your family has prospered. You cannot believe your association with witches is a mere quirk," Klaus drawled, amused. "I admit, I miscalculated with your father. I did not expect him to be incapable of being compelled. That he had taught you the trick was an annoyance, but now I find it utterly intriguing. A mere girl, yet one who offers such unwavering loyalty, and I cannot compel it from you. Why the surprise, love? Did you imagine I did not grasp your character, all those hours we spent talking?

"No, you cannot compel me," she said finally, brows tucked together. He thought her loyal. He'd thought she'd betrayed him. He'd come to find answers while he was in a rage, and yet, he'd listened when she spoke… She caught herself as the carriage rocked roughly, the road clearly in some disarray.

"Where are we headed?"

"Katerina still has family," Klaus said softly, expression darkening with malevolence. "I am most interested to see what they have to say."

"I do not understand," she said slowly. "Her family?"

"Katerina will spend centuries regretting her choice," he murmured. "Did you imagine I would allow anyone connected to her by blood to live? That I will allow her a single moment to hope for safety?"

"Why?" Both of his brows arched as Klaus' head canted at her words. The monster watched her and her heart jumped into her throat. Licking her lips, she angled her chin, her fingers laced tightly together. "She merely wanted to live."

As Caroline did. As anyone, would.

"I can perhaps admire the gumption it has taken her to survive. But Katerina did not just choose to defy me, Caroline. She stole from me. I will not forgive her for either of those choices," those eyes narrowed and his lips curved. "I will torture her, for that defiance. I will haunt her every footstep, because for five hundred years, I have worked to break my curse and she thwarted me. But I will let her live the life she fought for because she might yet prove to be useful. You'll learn, sweetheart, that when you strike enough fear into a creature, they will do anything to break that yoke."

"And my family," Caroline said tightly, "Am I still under your yoke?"

Klaus laughed lowly, gaze dragging down her body before returning to her face. The blatant want should have turned her lungs to stone, but instead, the chill of the carriage was no longer quite so noticeable. He leaned forward again, caught her bare hand with his. Gaze holding hers, he lifted her cold fingers to the press of his mouth. "Of all the things I wish for you to be under, Caroline, a yoke is the least of them."

She jolted, at his words, the hint of wicked in his voice. There was intent behind his eyes. Stomach trembling, she fought to breathe. "But you do wish it."

"Perhaps not in the way you imagine," he murmured lowly. "But I digress. Your father's corpse, the remains of your household, will be discovered by nightfall. Your mother has no living family. You're now free of them."

The casual way he described her family dying did not frighten her, not the way it should have. She did not need empirically evidence of the horrors that Klaus inflicted on those who'd betrayed him, and what he'd suggested should've left her scrambling for her own escape. Instead, something twisted in her chest, a terrible tangle of hope and wariness.

"So I am," Caroline agreed, voice taut. "You've also conscripted the witch my father hoped would keep me safe. Was your intent to ruin me? Because you have managed it. Shall I live in the shadow of that for the rest of my life? Is that my punishment?"

"I do not wish to ruin you, Caroline," Klaus corrected. "I merely wish to offer you your freedom."

She froze.

"It is intriguing," he said thoughtfully, watching her from eyes that saw far too much. "The human idea of freedom. Such a curious code of morals and propriety, that in the end mean very little. You'll find, sweetheart, that such things easily fall away with vampirism. The world becomes yours to take."

"And if I say no?"

"Will you? You cannot tell me that you're satisfied with this life, your humanity," Klaus quiered.

Caroline swallowed at a second press of his mouth at her wrist, the rasp of his tongue. He made a soft noise he made at the taste of her that set her nerves alight. Her skin prickled, and she shuddered. "I won't be another vampire, living in fear of you."

He released her hand, and settled one palm on her knee. Her clothing did nothing to blunt the impact of his touch, and she shivered at the heat of him. "Good. I do not want your fear."

She shook her head. "I do not believe you."

Klaus made a thoughtful sound, his fingers skimming upwards and brushing a line nearly to her hip, before retreating. "No? Should I not reward your loyalty? Do you imagine I do not see the value in of it? That I am not fascinated by you?"

Caroline's toes curled in her slippers and heat pooled low at each careful, improper caress. Her breath hitched, as his eyes lowered to her parted lips, the hunger there stark. "I've chosen not to betray you, and I agreed to pay the debt my family owed you. That does not mean I am loyal to you, Klaus. That doesn't mean I will be."

"But you could be," he replied, voice like velvet. "I can give you many reasons, to choose me."

She froze at the flash of heat behind Klaus' gaze and the answering flicker in her veins. But she was no child, to be tempted by just her base desires. The problem was the bait he had chosen, this dangling offer of freedom and the chance to experience him, were far more effective that she wished to admit. Klaus watched her with knowing eyes, but he seemed willing to wait for her to speak.

"What happens if I accept your offer?" Caroline rasped, nerves roughening her tone.

"Well now, that depends on you," he said, the pit behind his eyes now wide open and devouring. "Your father's death will create ripples among my enemies, and I've no desire to linger in these lands."

There was something else there, a flash of that terrible rage and the hint of vulnerability she knew to be the real danger. But she held her tongue, certain that now was not the time to question him. Klaus continued, voice taking a coaxing tone.

"Once Katerina's family has been dealt with, then the possibilities are endless. Paris, perhaps? Rome? The world is open to us."

Caroline opened and closed her mouth, stunned by how casually he continued offered her what she wanted with such desperation. But everything had a price. "But only if I agree to becoming like you."

A touch of amusement lightened his eyes. "A vampire, yes. But not quite like me, love. Still, you cannot expect that I should believe that remaining human is what you wish, Caroline. Aging. Growing old, remaining trapped by human propriety? Is that what you want?"

Her teeth worried her lip, as she studied him. She couldn't remember the last time someone had asked her what she wanted. She knew there was a note of manipulation to it, Klaus was maneuvering her into giving him what he wanted. It struck her, that this rough coaxing lacked his usual charm, that his intensity was oddly genuine.

And what he asked of her was loyalty. Her loyalty. How exactly did eternity stretch that for this monster, a human girl's loyalty was something he thought of as precious?

She wanted the freedom he dangled.

Caroline could even admit privately that she wanted him, the way he looked at her, and that his careful courting touches had left her hungry for sensation. She was so unbelievably starved for the things he offered, but she forced herself to think.

Klaus had given away his nature those nights he'd plotted, and as mercurial as his moods could be, so did his interests swiftly change. He'd hold her to him only as long as his interest remained, and she'd no doubt he'd one day walk away. But would that be so bad? Vampirism would give her the tools she'd need to thrive.

The thundering in her chest settled. "I suppose that depends on you."

Laughter creased his eyes, the darkness banished by heat. "Does it?"

"I will not spend an eternity being bait for you to dangle," she said fiercely. "I am no one's chess piece, not any longer."

"No?" Klaus watched her from knowing eyes. "There is value in being useful."

"If I am useful, it will be because I choose to be," Caroline said. "You wanted to know how you become something I value, how to gain my loyalty? I am not a horse, to offer devotion indiscriminately. I am not a piece on your mental board, to be discarded as an easy sacrifice."

"I doubt something as simple as 'easy' will ever describe you," Klaus drawled. He leaned forward and caught her chin firmly between his fingers. "Do not betray me, Caroline. There would be no torture that I would not inflict, no horror I would not create, should you choose such a path. What I plan for Katerina will seem like a pleasurable existence in the face of it, do you understand?"

"I won't, as long as you do not betray me," she said firmly. For the things she choose to hold close, betrayal was not within her. Klaus was not hers, but she could promise him this and keep it.

"When the witch said I don't negotiate, she was correct," he murmured, eyes heavy lidded and glittering.

"If your intention was to merely bully me into vampirism," Caroline returned frostily. "You'd have already forced the change. If you did not intend to allow me to remain me, I'd just be another body left behind while you dealt with Katerina. Another blood price paid for my father's folly."

His smile was slow and terrible. "You'll make a magnificent vampire."

"Will I?" Caroline murmured, lashes shading her eyes. "And how will you kill me?"

She did not flinch away from the sudden darkening in his gaze, the hint of veins beneath his eyes. She startled as he moved to crouch before her, heat watching her through his lashes. His fingers curved along her calf, and Klaus deposited her foot on the firm muscle of his thigh. There were layers of skirts between them but Caroline suddenly felt intensely vulnerable.

"In a bed," Klaus said lowly, fingers curving delicately around her ankle, eyes dark and wanting. His thumb brushed along her stocking, and her mouth ran dry. "The bedding wrinkled and sweat damp, your body loose limbed and sated, my blood on your lips; yours on my tongue."

Caroline bit the curve of her mouth, toes pressing against his thigh. "That's very specific."

He smiled slowly, and her breath hitched as he slowly began to push her skirts towards her knees. "I've thought often of you, alone in that cold bed, as I took my leave each night. And I've wondered, did your husband merely do his duty or did he take the time to learn all of your most intimate secrets? Did he teach you any of the many pleasures that can be found with a clever partner?"

He paused, the length of her legs exposed to the cool air, his hand skimming up the lean line of her calf. Her stockings prevented him from touching skin, but everything inside her went hot and aware, anyway. "If you've no desire to share my bed, there are other ways to give you blood, of course."

She trembled, as his fingertips skimmed just above her stocking. There was a question in that touch, in his gaze. Carefully, Caroline reached out with her fingertips to brush the hint of veins beneath his eyes. His gaze were heavy lidded and dark, as she stroked the delicate skin. She wondered if they were nearing an inn, if he planned on stopping soon, because she wanted his hands on her skin.

"I want you to touch me."

A hint of triumph curved his mouth, and his words were a sensual warning. "I'll touch you sweetheart, until you cannot take anymore. But what I want from you doesn't end there. I'm a creature of blood, and I want a bite."

Her breathing hitched. "Where?"

He made a considering noise, and then his fingers smoothed along her inner thighs. She jolted, breath escaping in a rush. His thumb rubbed a slow rasp against her skin, and she shivered. "I want to bite you here."

Her mouth opened and shut, and his smile shifted to something that looked like greed. "No? Perhaps I can convince you."

Gathering her skirts, he pushed them higher. "Will you hold these for me?"

Trembling fingers wound two fistfuls of her petticoats. "You cannot mean to do this here."

His smile stretched across his full lips, and his gaze lowered to settle between her thighs. "Touch you? I intend to do more than that. I want to learn you, stroke you, until I know what makes you sweat, what causes your pretty lips to part as you moan for me. I want to know how your skin flushes before you come, the hazy blue of your eyes."

Klaus flashed dimples at her wide eyes, brushed his lips across the outside of her knee. "Then I want you on my cock."

She shuddered. This was a monster's greed laid bare with blunt words, and her skin felt too tight, an ache forming low in her belly. Her husband had only ever looked at her like a duty. Klaus watched her as if she was a sin. "And what if I have wants?"

His lips skimmed her knee. "Oh, I hope you do. I'd be delighted to teach you any sin your agile mind alights on."

She wondered just how many ways there were for a man and a woman to be together?

A soft tearing of cloth pulled at her attention, and then delicate fingertips skimmed along the wetness between her thighs. She gasped, biting down reflexively on her lip to muffle the sound. Klaus made a chiding noise, the slow stroke of his thumb turning her mind hazy.

"Now, now, Caroline. None of that."

"The driver will hear," she rasped, cheeks turning hot and pink.

An arched brow and his thumb slid higher, the slow circle scattering her wits as her hips arched into that perfect caress, fingers gripping her skirts to the point of ripping.

"Of course he will." Her embarrassed squeak didn't seem to deter him, and he continued to lightly stroke her. Klaus watched her squirm with covetous eyes, gaze riveted on her the way her muscles jumped and twitched. "Have you ever come like this? With someone's fingers other than your own?"

Caroline shook her head. It hadn't been until she'd spent several hours with Katerina that she'd realized that women could touch themselves. The brazen girl had not only had whispered sordid tales about her lover, but she'd seemed to find more satisfaction from her time with a man than Caroline could remember in those few short months she'd been married. She'd been certain Katerina had said several things just see who would repeat them, but they'd never quite left Caroline's mind.

"Show me how," she rasped.

Klaus's eyes went impossibly darker. "I want you to watch, Caroline. Tonight, when you're naked on our bedding, we'll see how your much that clever brain of yours remembers, hmm?"

Another rush of heat, at the idea of touching herself while Klaus watched. That he wanted to see. She'd a single moment to wonder if he'd be willing to return the favor, before he touched her with intent. Parting her with his thumb, he swept upwards collecting her wetness, and pressed his slick thumb higher than before. Her toes pressed sharply against his thigh, her abdomen drawing tight, as he pressed against her. Her breath caught in hitching breaths, her early concern with being heard lost. It was a struggle, to keep her eyes on each movement, and she protested when he paused was loud.

"I'll keep my promise," he said roughly, and she twisted her fingers tightly into her skirt as he slid one finger inside her. A second stretched her presently, and she garbled his name as he slowly slid them out, and thrust carefully back inside her. Sweat began to beat at her temples and spine, hips helplessly chasing his fingers and her elusive release.

"Klaus," she pleaded hoarsely, trembling as she rode the edge of an orgasm. "I'm so close."

Klaus dipped his head, scruff a rasp against her skin, and on the next pass of his thumb, his fangs dug into her skin. Caroline shouted, the unexpected pain a shocking counterpoint that pitched her into a wave of bliss. She had no conscious memory of releasing her skirts and gripping his hair, but as she came her fingers were tangled tightly in his curls.

Caroline stared, chest heaving, as Klaus licked the bite wound until the bleeding stopped, a dark bruise already forming. Then, gaze lifted to her face, he licked the fingers that had been buried inside her clean as well. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale, and his tongue snaked out as if savouring her.

Smile edging into something feral, with absolutely no shame, Klaus reached for the fastenings on his trousers. Interested stirred in her belly as she watched him move, until the hard length of his cock sprung free. Tongue dragging across her lips, Caroline caught his eyes.

"When do I get to touch you?"

"Later," Klaus said, voice low and raspy. "I'll let you touch me once I've satisfied a number of fantasies."

Caroline straightened, her skirts helplessly crushed, her breasts heaving in her bodice, and she narrowed her eyes. "Let me?"

A startled laugh, and then he hooked her beneath her thighs and lifted her as easily as he'd moved Genevieve. Her hands landed on his shoulders as her knees bracketed his narrow hips. She drew breath to scold him, the wood beneath her knees uncomfortable, but the hard edge of his cock against her stilled her words.

This close, their breaths mingled, the dark blue around his pupil scalding. His lips brushed hers with each breath, and it was almost as intimate as the way his cock pressed slowly inside her. His mouth pressed hard and quick against hers, and his hands encouraged her to lean more of her weight against him. The slightest shift of her hips pushed him deeper, and she whimpered, nails digging into his neck.

"Perhaps we'll negotiate," Klaus rasped against her mouth once he seated fully inside her. His hand insinuated between their bodies, lightly rubbing where he'd spent so much time earlier. She jolted, clenching down, and Klaus's groan matched her whimper.

Curling one arm around his shoulder for balance, Caroline was helpless to stop herself from rocking against him. It was better if she rolled her hips just enough to slide up and down his length. Each movement only emphasized how full she was and she felt a little hazy as the pleasure built.

"Negotiate?" She stammered and his mouth curved against hers before he rolled his hips into her next downward movement. Her fingers dig into his scalp, fighters gripping his hair, and he encouraged the bite of pain of another snap of his hip. A whine escaped her, her chin tilted back as she let herself feel.

"Hmm," Klaus hummed as he pressed his mouth to her jaw, lips and tongue lingering against the line of her throat. "You can ride me like this, but I want you naked. I want to see suck your nipples, cup your arse as you chase your orgasm."

The crude words nearly pushed her over and another rough pinch did. She'd barely had time to slow her trembling when he'd picked them both up, his cock still achingly hard, and pressed her hands against the seat. Klaus flipped her skirts out of his way, spread her thighs and thrust back inside her.

Caroline wasn't certain she could've muffled her cries if she'd wanted to. He gave her no chance to adjust to the position, but set a firm, nearly rough pace that had her voice rising in pitch with each thrust. It didn't take her long to near a third orgasm, her knees and thighs shaking, but Klaus kept her firmly in his grip. Clawing at her seat, she screamed as she came, body bowed sharply. A moment later, she felt him finish with her.

Klaus kept her from becoming a heap on the floor, his arm banded around her waist as she tried to find her knees. A few moments later, he'd tucked his cock back inside his pants, and her skirts were mostly straightened. Her thighs were sticky, nipples painfully tight. He settled next to her, and she welcomed the steadiness he brought, since she wasn't certain she wouldn't slip off the bench if the carriage jolted.

Still trying to catch her breath, she watched Klaus from dazed eyes. "How far did you say we had to go?"

"Bulgaria," Klaus said. His smile was slow and tempting, fingers skimming the base of her throat before slowly moving lower. "Tonight we'll rest at an inn, but it is a few hours away yet."

She shivered, lashes heavy. "Hours?"

His fingers glided down her sternum before tracing the curve of her breast. "Hmmm, yes. I don't imagine we'll be bored, if we are limited in positions. But perhaps we'll explore those a bit more after you've rested a bit, hmm?"

Even as her nipple tightened into hard little peak beneath his touch, her lashes drifted closed. Klaus' shoulder was solid beneath her cheek, and the motion of the carriage lulled her exhausted body even further. The last sensation she remembered was Klaus' fingers tangling in her hair.


	26. Queen of Hearts

**Queen of Hearts**

Happy Birthday howeverlongs! I am sorry this is late, Paula. Hopefully you like it. Thank you so much for all of the pretty graphics that you give us!

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The smoke in the bar was cloying. Caroline wrinkled her nose as she moved through the crowd, the happy tune played on the piano nearly overpowering the murmur of the crowd. For all that there were smiles, too many people kept glancing at the door for Caroline to be comfortable.

She could guess what was causing the disturbance tonight. Glancing cautiously through her lashes at the table in the back, she swiped her tongue across her lips as she gave herself a brief glance to admire the man who sat with such elegant casualness. Klaus Mikaelson.

Smart, terribly handsome with dimples she'd seen crease his cheeks just before he'd threatened someone's life, Klaus Mikaelson had the devil's own luck and his ruthlessness. Caroline had seen enemies dismiss him, partly due to his foreign accent and partly because of his looks, and she'd heard of how they'd been fished from the lake. But it wasn't fear that had her skirting the crowd to avoid him.

Klaus wasn't just ruthless when it came to business. Adjusting her tray, shirt swishing around her knees, she sighed mentally as Gloria caught her eye. She'd done a full circle, dropped of drinks and dodged the occasional hand, and Klaus had been waiting for almost ten minutes.

He wouldn't wait much longer.

Walking to the bar, she accepted the bottle and glasses, and braced herself mentally for the conversation that was coming. Tonight was her first night working since her birthday. Klaus had left her alone when she wasn't at the bar, but his expression when she'd scurried away from him with kiss wet lips and mussed hair, had promised that time was coming to an end.

She wouldn't be a coward and hide from him.

He glanced up as her heels hit the stairs, smile slow and wicked. She was relieved that he wasn't alone, but the pale face of Stefan Salvatore told her whatever their discussion, it wasn't going well. For him. She'd heard there had been a falling out, Rebekah Mikaelson seen in the company of a different dark haired guy.

"Bourbon?" She drawled as she set down the tumblers. It was an unnecessary question, as Klaus drank little else. In the years since she'd known him, she'd never seen him stray from his usual, although the quality of what they could offer varied.

"Caroline, sweetheart," Klaus murmured, the rough slid of his voice washing across her skin like a touch. He offered her the butt he held between his fingers. "How's the mood tonight?"

"Tense," she said lightly, accepting his offer, taking a slow drag. Her lipstick lingered as she handed it back. Klaus didn't seem to care, pressing it between his lips with dark eyes. "Should a girl be nervous?"

"You? No." Klaus said lightly after an exhale of smoke. He ground out the stub with such a smile. "Others perhaps aren't so lucky."

Caroline didn't look at Stefan. Nodding her head, she picked up her tray, and Klaus caught her wrist. Once, she'd have shaken off his touch with a flinch, but that had been years ago. Now her pulse picked up, goosebumps spreading across her skin as his thumb stroked softly.

"You owe me a conversation."

Eyes narrowed, she tugged lightly. Klaus released her, and only then did she glance at the accusing glare Stefan was watching her with. "You look like you've got business."

"So I do."

She walked away, and this time he didn't stop her.

Last night, there had been a raid. From the rumors she'd overheard, the coppers had hit Lockwood's outfit in an attempt to crack down on the distribution of alcohol. Several of those bulls were enjoying the rotgut at the bar even now.

Many were taking it as proof of Klaus Mikaelson's growing domination in Chicago. He seemed to always be two steps ahead of his enemies, but it wasn't his growing empire of weapons and alcohol that made him dangerous. That he managed to convey all on his own.

Slipping back to the counter, Caroline collected the next round of drinks. For all that tonight was fraught with a wire of tension, it was busy. She and the other skirts that Gloria employed were constantly moving. As the alcohol flowed so did the tips. And now that Klaus had made his little statement, fewer hands attempted to wonder.

Most nights, his little statements of claim pissed her off. For two years they'd gone back and forth, Klaus a stubborn presence in her life. She couldn't even to pinpoint when her defenses had weakened.

Feet aching, skin flushed from exertion and the way Klaus had watched her all night, she dropped her tray off and tilted her chin towards the storage room most of the girls took their breaks. Gloria gave her a brief nod, and Caroline slipped downstairs to take a breather. She needed to cool down, but more importantly, she needed to think.

The stone walls were as familiar to her as the wooden floors of Gloria's. Tonight it smelled a little like smoke, and Caroline winced as she thought of the talking too someone would get. A misplaced spark, and a fire would be disastrous. Some girls were still silly enough to risk it once Gloria banned taking their breaks outside.

Going outside meant running a risk of being seen by cops or some uptight parishioner, or worse, being mistaken as a prostitute. Caroline had been on the streets at sixteen, and knew what some woman had to do to survive. But for all that those parishioners claimed to be part of God's work, they could be violent if they thought they were being denied.

She settled onto the single stool that had been left downstairs for their use, and sighed. Closing her eyes as she wiggles her aching toes, she smoothed down the sequins and of her skirt, taking a moment to check the pinned curls of her updo. She should never have given herself that taste.

She'd known Klaus was dangerous when she'd met him. Caroline had lived in danger her entire life, her drunkard father and his associates had rarely concerned themselves with William Forbes' daughter. She'd grown up in the shadow of the mob, and she'd never managed to walk away from it entirely.

But her father had been a type of danger she could run from. Klaus was more more insidious. He was physically stronger, but it was how he affected her emotional that worried her.

At sixteen, she'd scraped and hidden away just enough pocket money to escape her father. Hungry and desperate for work, Caroline would never forget that Gloria had taken a chance on her when she'd walked in and begged for work. She'd spent six months organizing stock, until Gloria had deemed that she'd put enough meat on her bones to work the floor.

It was how she'd met Klaus.

And she wasn't sure how to handle the kind of emotions he wanted from her. He'd made it clear he wasn't interested in just something pretty on his arm. In fact, once she had hit eighteen, she'd never seen him with a gal at the bar, although there were many rumors of the dames who shared his bed.

Sighing heavily, she let her mind wander to that first meeting as the sweat on her skin slowly cooled. Her first job for Gloria had entailed coming in just before dusk to do a stock check and reorganize anything that had been misplaced the previous night.

Caroline had liked the work, had taken to Gloria's system readily enough. Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she'd waited just twenty minutes longer to go upstairs, if Klaus would have shown interest in her.

She'd been so skinny then, under fed and wary. But Caroline had taken pride in her work, and had put effort into organizing bottles correctly and quickly. She'd been distracted by a loud bang one night just as she'd finished up, had hesitated only for a moment before carefully walking up the stairs.

She hadn't been expecting the sight in front of her when she'd cracked the door open.

 _"Caroline," Gloria said harshly as Caroline stared at the man slumped over the bar. It took her a moment to understand what she was seeing was his brains, leaking into the wooden bar. "I told you to stay downstairs."_

 _Caroline very carefully didn't look at either Gloria or the man she only just see a shadow of in her peripheral vision. There was blood splattered near her feet and it took effort to hold her gorge. Taking a deep breath, her voice still trembled when she spoke. "Until I'd finished. You told me to stay until I'd finished."_

 _The unexpected huskiness of male laugh lifted the small hairs on the back of her neck. "Another one of your strays, Gloria?"_

 _"A child."_

 _There was a hiss of a match, and then the smell of tobacco. Caroline looked away from the cooling body, hands pressed flat to her thighs to keep them from trembling. A low, accented voice murmured into the silence. "Leave us."_

 _Gloria hesitated at her side, before heading down into the storage room. For a brief, frantic second she thought about joining her, but that a dead end. She wouldn't die in the dark. Caroline closed her eyes for a brief moment, before she finally turned to face the man who'd apparently murdered so casually._

 _She was startled by how young he appeared, the rough scruff on his cheeks doing little to hide the youth of him. But his eyes were hard, and she'd seen the like before. The particular brand of coldness that spoke of killing intent._

 _He took another drag of the cigaret, and watched her for several long moments. "You're timing is quite unfortunate, sweetheart. Another few minutes, and I'd have been gone."_

 _Caroline held her tongue, not sensing a question. A hint of a smile played over his lips, and he nodded to the body. "You're first?"_

 _"No." She had spent just enough time on the streets to see death, but she was also William Forbes daughter. She'd watched men die since she was a child, knew the way eyes looked as life faded. Her father preferred to strangle his victims, it was the gore she was unfamiliar with._

 _A glint, behind the blue of his eyes, a flash of curiosity as he took in her clothes, the waif thin frame. "Then you understand something must be done."_

 _Caroline lifted her chin. "Will you kill me then?"_

 _A thoughtful glance, before he ground out his cigaret. "That depends love. The scales are currently unbalanced, as it were. I'm sure you'll make a all kinds of promises, should I ask it of you. Keeping them, now there is a trick."_

 _Her heart was a jackhammer in her ears, but her tone managed not to shake as she spoke. "And what do you want from me then?"_

 _He stood, surprisingly lean, for all that he felt so much bigger. She'd have thought he was taller. This was a man many men would underestimate, and she knew many of them would die. Walking over, he pushed the body off the bar, so that it collapsed with a thud of muscle and bone. She tried not to think of it. The slap of limp his hands as they hit the floor._

 _"A price," he said serenely. "I don't trust, love, you understand? A skirt without price is either a liar or a fraud. So tell me, what will you ask for to keep your silence?"_

 _Caroline bit her lip, as he continued to watch her with unblinking eyes. "Why? Killing me would be easier."_

 _"Gloria and I have a bit of bargain," he said carelessly. "I make an attempt not to kill her workers and she doesn't complain about the occasional spot of murder. I haven't heard her swearing, as she redoes your work, so you must be somewhat competent. You'll find, sweetheart, that working for Gloria means working for me."_

 _She swallowed hard, as she realized the tightrope she stood on. Caroline had known that Gloria had to have mob ties, to serve guests during the prohibition. There were too many vices here, to have been independent. Perhaps this man would let her go and she could run, but where would she go? Her mother's family in Virginia had lost contact with her years earlier and she refused to crawl home._

 _So she'd given him a price._

 _Exactly five dollars more than the going rate for information on the street. She'd watched the amusement grow on his face, the glitter of approval as he'd started to peel away bills from the roll in his hand. She'd protested when he'd laid down more than she'd offered, and his dimples had startled her._

 _"It's not a bribe, Caroline, if it's such a small number. Consider it a favor. You'll owe me, and you'll keep that pretty mouth of yours shut. It'd be a shame, to fish you from the river."  
_  
Caroline hadn't taken a full breath until a Klaus had and left. She could still remember the way she'd trembled in the silent bar, the disbelief that he'd let her live. That night, she'd jumped at every shadow, and had woken up shaking from nightmares she couldn't remember. But she'd gone back the next day, and the next. And every time Klaus had appeared, she'd been tense and wary.

But that had been years ago.

"Hiding from me, sweetheart?"

Caroline's gaze snapped up as she hastily stood. Klaus had lost his coat, the slicked back curls glinting in the faint light. Her mouth ran dry as his gaze lowered to her lips, and she struggled against the blush that heated her cheeks. He saw it, if the wicked tilt of his lips meant anything.

"What are you doing down here?" She demanded, scowl darkening her face. "Gloria has rules."

He laughed lowly. "It's hardly my first trip to her cellars, Caroline. And you'll find the place has emptied in the last half hour."

She swore, moving several steps towards the narrow stairs. Klaus didn't budge. "I need to head back upstairs."

"You've got the rest of the night off," Klaus said. "Since you refuse to come back to my place, this is the best we can do for privacy, for now."

Her lips parted in surprise, and she licked dry lips as he watched her. "I'd have thought Stefan would be of more interest."

"Stefan still has a use or two, although that usefulness will last him a shorter duration than he knows," Klaus dismissed. "Rippers are easy enough to come by, when you know where to look. And I prefer mine with fewer conflicted morals."

She winced, walked away from him with quick, pacing footsteps. "You shouldn't say things like that."

"Should I not?" His footsteps followed her, and she glared over her shoulder. "You did kiss me."

Caroline curled her fingers into her palms. He'd tasted of whiskey and tobacco, and while she'd had her share of dalliances over the years, nothing had felt so good. She'd thought of it constantly, fantasized about how things might have progressed had they not been interrupted.

Klaus must have read some of it on her face, because his lips curved. Caroline shivered, because she knew how that satisfied smile tasted against her mouth. He stepped closer, hand lifting to trace the curve of her mouth.

Caroline almost wished that each brush of callouses against her lip left her trembling from fear, and not a slow growing arousal. For two years, she'd avoided this heat in his gaze and the proprietary way he watched her. She'd pretended not to notice the way he snarled at anyone who showed her too much attention, and that he attempted to make up for it by tipping well.

Gloria had given her only one warning, when Caroline had turned eighteen.

"Klaus Mikaelson is as charming as the devil, Caroline. Be sure he doesn't swallow you whole."

As his fingers slid down her chin to trace the line of her throat, tongue wetting his lips, her thighs clenched tightly together. Sucking in a breath, she caught his hand. "Klaus."

"Caroline."

She dug into lightly with her nails, and his gaze returned to hers. "You're not an easy man to be with."

"You want me." The assurance in his voice was irritating. Her mouth opened, closed, and he smiled with lazy intensity. "Tell me, if I slipped my fingers beneath your skirts, Caroline, how wet would I find you?"

She was blushing then, words sputtering off her lips. "That's not important."

Klaus laughed softly, his free hand running down her side, following the curves hidden by the fit of her dress. "I find it of great import. How often do you think of me, these nights I spend devouring you with my eyes? Do you walk among the crowds and entertain your patrons, hot and slick for me?"

Caroline determinedly ignored the way she couldn't quite stop herself from swaying into him at his words. His eyes roamed her face greedily, taking in the flush of her skin and the dark of her eyes. When she spoke, her words were firm and husky.

"If I agree to this, to you, you wouldn't let me go."

"Are you sure that's what you'd want?" He asked. She released his hand and stepped back, the stone wall behind her cool against her spine. Klaus followed her, the heat of of him hard against her front as he traced delicate patterns against her collarbones.

"You know what I am. You know what I'm capable of. And you haven't run. You've had the opportunity. The leverage. But for four years you've held my secrets."

She licked her lips, swallowed as he watched the motion. "Perhaps I was afraid. Your men are often enough beneath my window."

"Fear doesn't turn a woman's cheeks hot with arousal, Caroline. And while I don't mind a bite of it in my bed, true terror has not sat on your face when you looked at me for years." He bent his head, kissed the bare patch of skin beneath her collarbone slowly. Licked it, with one hot stroke of his tongue. She gasped, jolting against him, and he hummed lowly.

"That didn't sound like fear."

"Klaus."

It was supposed to be a husky reprimand, but it came out low and breathy. His smile burned her skin, but he lifted his head. "As for my men, I protect what's mine, love."

She rolled her eyes. "But I haven't been yours."

His hand lifted to cup her jaw. "No? After this last year, the ordeal with your father, is that what you're truly believe?"

She tucked her lip between her teeth. Perhaps that had been her first true falter, in her denial. The day she'd seen William Forbes in the crowd, and panicked. The smart move would have been to run, to race home to gather would she could, and leave the state. Thanks to Klaus and his generous tipping, she had a decent stash.

Instead, she'd swiped another bottle of whiskey, and strode straight for the back booth, heart pounding. Klaus had taken one look at her face and scattered those who sat with him. She'd slipped across from him while he lit a cigarette and offered it to her with steady fingers.

He'd asked her what was wrong. Even knowing that what confiding in him could mean, she'd explained in terse sentences between unsteady drags of tobacco. He'd waited until she'd finished, and merely promised to take care of it. Her fingers had trembled so badly as she'd watched him, that he'd offered her the dish to put out the butt. For a long moment she'd struggled with what to say, in the end and simply thanked him and left.

As far as she knew, they'd never found William. His body wasn't one of the many dumped in pieces, and she didn't know if anyone would look for him. But whatever Klaus had done, he'd done it without asking for anything in return.

"It's not that simple."

"I disagree," Klaus said. "Do you remember the first time you saw me?"

"Standing over a body."

His dimples cut deep, and his thumb brushed her cheek. "Such a defiant little street waif, with such wary eyes. You were an amusing distraction after that; uncertain if you should bite back or retreat. Then on your eighteenth birthday, you sang."

"I like singing."

"I know," he said easily. "One day, you'll give me a private show, naked in my bed while I try to distract you with my mouth."

Her breath hitched.

"Your voice," he continued. "Goes straight to my cock. But it's stopped being about merely having you for years. I want you, but I want all of you."

"I like my independence," Caroline said lowly. "Having my own money."

"My men would be highly disappointed if they could no longer take turns sitting at the bar," Klaus said with a shrug. "Although I doubt they'll miss the time spent beneath your window in winter. You'll come home with me. Each night. And I'll find it within me to not murder every man who looks at you and thinks of sex."

Her lips parted to complain about his high handed demand, but they never made it past her lips. Klaus dipped his head, mouth open and demanding against hers, and she drowned in the taste of him. Her fingers tangled carelessly into his perfect hair, tongue drinking in the whiskey and smoke of him. He pressed her against the wall, hand fisting in her skirt to lift it higher, so he could press into the cradle of her legs. She whined as he pulled his mouth away, lips flushed and wet.

"Tell me you want this."

His fingers snuck along her thigh, brushing perilously close to the wet heat that would give her away. She sucked in a breath, chest heaving. She slid one hand out of his hair, trailed it along the short scruff of his beard. "I want this."

A curve of his mouth, satisfied and triumphant. "Good."

Caroline's mouth dropped open when his knuckles parted her folds, sliding along the slickest part of her. Her fingers fumbled in his hair, hand pressing against his neck as she tried to breath. Another slow caress, and then one finger slipped slowly inside her. Her breasts strained against their bindings, and his gaze lowered, something hungry in his gaze.

"How I wish this was my bed, where I could unwrap you."

She shuddered, clenching down as he added a second finger. Nails digging into his skin, her hips rolled against his hand. "I haven't. Agreed, to go home with you."

"Not yet," he rumbled, thumb sliding up to circle her clit. She jerked against him, struggling to hold his gaze as he devastated her senses. "I'm willing to persuade you."

She was panting, sweat damp at her temples and her spine. Klaus' gaze was unblinking as he watched her chase her orgasm, lips parted as she stiffened against him, body shaking through her high. Her spine melted against the wall, and he slipped his fingers free of her, only to bring them to his mouth.

Her fingers dropped to his belt, scrabbling for a moment as she tried to unhook it. His hand lowered to help with his fastenings, and he moved her away when she tried to touch him.

"Klaus."

"If you want to touch me, you'll do it in our bed," he said firmly as he reached down and hooked one of her thighs over his forearm. Her lashes fluttered as his cock teased her swollen clit.

"Mean," she rasped, as he made no further move to slid inside her.

"I love your legs," he said, fingers running damply along her thigh. "I want them around my waist. Over my shoulders."

Her eyes widened, and he pressed into her smoothly, the stretch of his cock inside her perfect. Their mingled moans were loud, and she clamped down as he pulled out to repeat the thrust. The angle was amazing, the feel of him better, and her head dug into the wall behind her as she writhed.

"So lovely," he growled as his fingers snuck between them. His fingers were shaky as they circled her clit and then pinched down, and she jolted, her orgasm a rush in her veins. A few rough thrusts and he joined her, body tense against hers.

She stared up at home as they slowly came down, nails digging into his scalp as he pulled free. Her thighs were slick with their combined release, and she watched with greedy eyes as he tucked himself back into his pants.

Klaus brushed his lips across hers and then he lowered her leg, and smoothed her skirts. "Come home with me."

"For tonight."

His smile was wicked. "Shall we argue tomorrow then? I'm game, love, but can you stay so circumspect if my mouth is on your pussy?"

Caroline glared. "Are you trying to get me fired?"

"Of course not," he drawled, kissing her palm. "But I'm not adverse to playing dirty."

"I'll think about it."


	27. Blood of the Covenant

**Anonymous asked: Klaroline mafia au with smut pls it would be cool if kc were married or rivals**

Not super smutty, but there is some! Also gore, discussion of torture, and references to being tied up. A bit dark, honestly.

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"Do you know what your first mistake was?"

Caroline stared down at the man who she'd once called a friend, eyes pitiless as she watched him bleed. The gunshot wound in his shoulder had to hurt, but she knew before long it would be the least of his concerns. Her own wounds were seeping, but they were hardly her first and likely not her last.

Stefan gave her a tight smile, sweat beading at his temples, even as he tried to maintain his facade. "I'm sure you'll tell me."

She arched both brows, fingers still curled around around her favorite pistol. She could still hear the sounds of fighting outside, knew that she wouldn't be alone with him for much longer. Still, she made no move to stand. Her husband's fury would burn for long a long time over this little attempted coup, she didn't see the point in adding to the flames by adding to her injuries. Her once pristine bedroom was littered in glass and an assortment of broken furniture. Her tussle with Stefan might have ended in his favor, if he hadn't underestimated her. The text message from her husband warning her had also been helpful. Not enough time to avoid the attack completely, but long enough that she hadn't been caught by surprise.

"You'd think someone with a hole in their shoulder would make a point to use their manners," she pointed out with a sigh. "Your attitude has always been lacking in proper deference, Stefan. Once, I found that amusing."

"You have never deserved it."

"Matter of opinion," Caroline dismissed. "But your grievances are stacking up, aren't they?"

Stefan laughed bitterly, hand squeezing his biceps tightly. "With both know that he'll never forgive today."

Caroline pinned him with cold eyes. "Of course he won't. But neither will I, Stefan. And this little rebellion is going to cost you. I'm not just going to go after just Damon and Elena. I'm going to go after every person who may have once shown you the smallest of kindness. And then I'm going to destroy them. I'll strip them financially and emotionally, so that when death finally comes, it'll be a mercy. Then, when not even a stranger on the street would be willing to offer the remains of your family so much as a penny, I'll take them. In the end, they'll wish you'd slit their throats yourself."

Stefan's jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles were visibly jumping. "You speak as if I'll still be alive."

"Because you will."

Caroline smiled at the sound of Klaus' voice, the hard edge of rage behind it. She didn't take her eyes from Stefan until Kol stood behind him. The most volatile of the Klaus' still living siblings, he was picture of horror. Blood dripped from his face and his clothes were slick from it, but he was smiling as he clasped Stefan's shoulders.

"Here is our guest of honor."

Stefan flinched, but Caroline was done with him. Her gaze moved to Klaus, and the tightness on her shoulders eased as she took him in. His gaze were lit with the volatile temper that made him so dangerous as he took her her wounds, the violent bruises forming around her throat. Bloodstained, and furious, her system gave a hard jolt of lust as she took in his ruined suit shirt and wild curls. She wanted to touch him, to assure herself of what her eyes were telling her.

When his eyes moved to Stefan, they were hard. Caroline k ew what it had cost him to come to her instead of pursuing Damon, and she felt her heart squeeze that he had. She'd make it up to him.

"We'll chat later, mate. Kol?" Klaus said almost pleasantly.

Kol laughed and jerked Stefan to his feet as Enzo walked in to join them. He met her gaze and nodded. Knowing that her second would have things well in hand, she clicked her safety back on and grimaced as the motion pulled her ribs. "Do keep him alive, Kol. And be careful of his spine. We want him functioning when we have our upcoming chats."

A moment later and Klaus was standing next to her. His eyes were still furious, but they were tempered now. His touch was feather light as he skimmed it down her bloody chin, beneath her split lip. "Let's look you over."

She tilted her head in agreement, lips parting in a near silent sigh as Klaus lifted her. He smelled like gunpowder, blood and the cologne she'd watched him put on just hours before. She curled her fingers into the collar of his shirt, grazing the warm skin there for just a moment.

In her life, Caroline had trusted exactly three people. Enzo and Bonnie had been with her from the beginning, the rare friends that had stood with her in the shadow of her father's organization. They'd been with her when she'd murdered Bill in retaliation for her mother's death, had lived with her in the shadows as she ruthlessly taken over his organization and made it a force.

Klaus had been unexpected. The disgraced and disinherited son of a prominent mob family in New York, he'd come to Chicago looking for a new start. Caroline had been amused by him, had allowed him the occasional job in her organization only because Elijah Mikaelson had personally asked her for the favor. He'd never job den his intentions for vengeance, and she'd indulged him. She'd warned Klaus that if his quest endangered any of her people, she'd ship what was left of him to his father in a shoebox.

After Mikaelson mysterious death and Elijah's hostile takeover, she'd have thought he'd disappear. Instead, he'd returned to her trailing siblings, and proceeded to use his ruthlessness to move up in her organization. Caroline admired his practicality, how he was always two steps ahead of everyone around him. But she'd also seen the threat.

Klaus still claimed the night she'd sat him down and promised to destroy him if he was aiming for her job as their first date. She argued with him, because ruling her husband always led to the most intriguing results. He'd made her a single promise that night: he'd never betray her, as long as she didn't betray him. Foolishly, ridiculously, she'd believed him.

Five years later, and she'd married him.

The bathroom counter was cool beneath her thighs, as Klaus sat her carefully down. A moment later, and the door was shut, blocking out the team Enzo trusted to start putting her bedroom back into place. She'd sleep here tonight, and tomorrow she'd start purging her people.

Caroline was silent as Klaus cut away the fabric of her dress, taking in the damage beneath her clothing. She cupped his jaw as his eyes narrowed, coaxing his gaze back to her face.

"What did he promise you?"

Klaus caught her hand, brought to his mouth. "Nothing imaginative. New York, should I want it. As if I am incapable of taking it from Elijah, should that be my wish."

Caroline wrinkled her nose. "Damon is an unimaginative fool."

"Damon and I will one day have quite the discussion on imagination," Klaus said coldly as he reached for a washcloth, running it under the water for a long moment and before he carefully started wiping away the blood on her face. "We killed anyone who fired against us, but there will still be those to hold accountable."

"Yes," she agreed around a wince as he examined her lip. "It will take time, but we'll ferret out his plants. I imagine we'll find a number of men whose balls were twisted at the idea of taking orders from a woman."

A hint of a smile, along his lips. "That sort of idiocy has no place here."

"How short their memories run," she murmured, head tilting back do he could tend to her throat. She shivered, as he grazed below her ear, and she felt his smile deepen. She snuck her hand beneath his shirt and lightly pinched his hip in chastisement, but the jolt of his hips at the small sting left her fighting her own smile. Mostly naked, there was no hiding her body's reaction to the fight, the adrenaline turning to heady arousal as he touched her.

"Behave," he warned lowly.

She dipped her chin and arched a brow. "No."

A hint of dimple, as he rinsed the cloth and continued. She nearly groaned at the graze of his thumb against her nipple, watched him from narrowed eyes as he cleaned the swells of her breasts. "I want Damon and Elena alive."

"Do you?"

"Stefan is yours," she offered magnanimously. "As long as he is somewhat mentally functioning when I bring him the walking corpses of his family, I don't care what you do."

His gaze lifted to hers, and the blue was hot. "The example I'll make of him won't be pretty, love."

Caroline skimmed her fingers along the edge of his belt, and lower, grazing the length of the erection he made no move to hide. That was only fair, since her nipples were hard points and her thighs growing slick. Discussing murder with Klaus' hands on her skin was one of her biggest kinks, and the way he palmed her breast said he knew it.

"You ribs?"

"Bruised."

His head bent, and he skimmed her bruised throat. "These?"

Caroline looped her arms around his shoulders. "It looks like you'll be doing all the work tonight. Be nice."

A hot kiss against her shoulder. "I want Bonnie to look you over."

"And I want you to touch me," she demanded before biting his ear. He shuddered, and she licked the sting. "If you're nice to me now, I won't argue about Bonnie. And I'll let you come however you want in bed."

His laugh was husky against her skin, fingertips gliding along her thigh. "Will you, now? I don't believe it's your turn to be in charge."

She pulled back and lifted a hand carefully to brush the curls at the nape of his neck, breasts swaying with her movement. "I believe I was tied to the bed last night, and I certainly don't recall you doing a damn thing I wanted."

His nose brushed hers, just as his knuckles stroked firmly along her slit. She shuddered, nails digging into skin as he grazed her clit. "Did I not? My apologies, love. It was a tad difficult to understand you, as you spent most of the night screaming my name."

Her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed two fingers inside her, breasts pressing against his chests as his thumb made achingly slow circles against her. His free hand worked her nipple, and he made alow noise when her hips shifted. "Your ribs, Caroline. I'll do the work."

She parted her lips to protest, and he hooked his fingers inside her, finding that perfect spot. Her eyes rolled back, his name a whine as he pressed harder against her clit, nipple caught between two fingers. Already heavily aroused, it didn't take long before Caroline came with a ripple, shuddering out his name. She leaned against him, breathing for long moments before letting him untangle their limbs. Catching his hand, she sucked his wet fingers into her mouth, just to watch him moan, hips jolting against her before he could stop himself.

"Bonnie," he said firmly.

"Bonnie," she agreed with a sigh, even as her fingers snuck between them to cup his erection. The cords of his neck went taut, and she licked her lips, ignoring the sting. "I can't suck you tonight, but I'm sure we'll think of something."

He caught her hand, eyes dark and full of the best kind of retribution. "I'm sure we will. And perhaps I'll even let you in on a few of my more bloodthirsty plans, when I'm buried inside you. Would you like that, Caroline? My cock filling you as I describe every way that I will cause Stefan to wish he was dead? No other stimulation that my voice and the future screams of your enemies while you clench down on my cock?"

She shivered, eyes heavy lidded. "Yes."

His smile was as dangerous as his eyes, but his touch was gentle as he helped her to the floor, steadying her as her knees wobbled. An affectionate kiss against her forehead was all he allowed either of them before fetching her his robe.

"Good."

She brushed his mouth with her fingertips once she was covered, the belt loose around her hips. "I asked Stefan if he knew what his biggest mistake was but he had no answer."

Klaus arched a brow as he opened the door. "Did you?"

She smiled at him, even though her lip and jaw burned. "It was attempting to turn you against me."

His gaze warmed and she moved into the bedroom, snapping orders as she went. She had an examination to complete, and she wanted everything sorted by the time that was done. Klaus had a promise to fulfill.


	28. Wicked Becomes You

**Succubus Caroline with jealous Klaus**

I went a little light on jealous Klaus, and there ended up being a tiny bit of suggested Tyler/Klaus. No smut, but probably NSFW anyway.

* * *

Paris wasn't really her city of choice. Generally, most of Europe was off her list. She knew some of her kind enjoyed what they considered the old world, liked that the puritanical backgrounds left them with breeding grounds to corrupt. The occasional corruption was fun, but also boring.

She preferred Latin America. Parts of Asia. Places where her looks didn't merely blend in with the crowd, where sex wasn't always a taboo subject for back hallways and closed doors.

Paris ended up as an accident, a diverted flight and she'd decided to make the most it. She'd started in Amsterdam, a city that certainty had it shared of sins, and traveled along until she found herself here. And wasn't tonight turning out to be an interesting one.

Vampires weren't a new experience, they weren't even a new flavor on her tongue. But this strange new Hybrid? A little of her allure, a lot of skin, and she was breathing in his arousal and secrets like he was a teenager. Humming against his throat in a dark corner, swaying slowly to the beat while palming his erection, his fingers pawing at her breasts, she could have taken whatever she wanted.

"Enjoying yourself, sweetheart?"

Her lashes parted as she turned to see who'd interrupted her little snack. Surprise was heady, as she took in what smelled like an older version of the boy pressed against her. A sexier, prettier version. Instinct brushed along her spine, warning her that this man was no easy prey.

"A bit of a snack," Caroline replied with a shrug. She tipped her head to the side, lips curving a hair when another nudge of her palm left the hybrid shuddering, teetering on an orgasm that she could already taste on her tongue. "This one yours?"

He matched her smile. "So he is, aren't you, Tyler?"

It was fascinating, and immensely disappointing, when the boy went rigid in shock. Caroline clicked her tongue, at that bite of fear. "You're not going to ruin my fun, are you?"

Arms folding, shoulder bracing against the doorway, he tilted his head, dimples cutting deeper. "That would be rude, wouldn't it? I've no wish to keep you from eating, love, but it appears Tyler's lips have been a bit loose."

The heartbeat in Tyler's neck turned staccato, but her brows arched when the terror mingled with arousal. Lips pursing, she pushed Tyler's hand off her breast and drummed her fingers against her meals thigh. "Is it his wolf that wants you to hurt him just a little or the man?"

Tyler jerked and she smoothed her fingers down his throat, letting the allure soothe him now that she was losing interest. His muscles smoothed out, and she knew without looking that his eyes had glazed over. It'd wear off in a few moments, and he'd feel a little drunk, but there was a price to pay when you played with demons.

The new, and far more intriguing, man laughed lowly, and she tilted her head. "I've seen you before."

A hint of teeth. "I believe you have."

She stepped away from Tyler, sauntered over without bothering to straighten her neckline. She could see fine in the dark, but she took her time to study his face now that she was closer. Notable lips, pretty bones, and eyes that were older than she was expecting. "Mexico City. Bogota."

A dip of his chin. "Very good. What brings you to my stomping grounds?"

"Serendipity," Caroline said breezily. "My plane was diverted, thought I'd do some exploring. Ran into your intriguing minion. Thought I'd see how he'd taste."

Tyler groaned, and Caroline took that as her cue to leave. As she went to step around the other hybrid, his voice stopped her.

"What will he remember?"

Blinking, she glanced at him to find he was still watching her. Unexpected goosebumps prickled against her skin. "Not much."

"Why not finish him off?"

Caroline pursed her lips. He'd made no move to hold her there, and she wasn't sure he could hold her. Magic was tricky, and she'd yet to find a man she couldn't entrance. Still, she'd taken information from what was his, the scales weren't balanced. "A little bit of fear can be fun, but I dont have the time to make that worth my while with him."

"And when was the last time you ate?"

She laughed, pushing her hair away from her face. "I don't see how that concerns you, unless you're in the desperate need for a fuck. Looking for an easy lay? How disappointing."

Those blue eyes lightened, until they were ringed in yellow, and her breath caught. "I'll forgive your derision, Caroline, because I imagine you've been on the receiving end of many such offers. A bit boring, I imagine, those men who believe any of their orgasms would be enough to satisfy you. But that's not what you need, is it?"

Caroline ran her tongue across her lips, words low. "I didn't tell you my name."

"I have excellent hearing."

She angled her head. "So do I. And I don't believe I've heard yours."

"Klaus." He said with that smile. "I wonder, when was the last time you've hand something unbreakable beneath your hands? Something you can toy with, play with, until even you hunger is sated."

It felt like a spark, as she absorb that tiny part of him. He didn't blink, even though he knew what she was. Though he might know what giving her any part of himself to her meant. What she could do with it. Amused, she reached up and adjusted her breasts, smoothing her skimpy shirt into place. His eyes never left her face.

Fascinating.

"Well, Klaus, interesting as your offer, what would you like in return? Men rarely offer complete control, regardless if they even have it, without strings."

His smile was slow and dangerous, sexy in a way she liked. "Just the chance to return the favor. I like sex, and I won't apologize for wondering what it takes to satisfy a well fed succubus."

"Interested in something that won't break?" She drawled, eyes curious.

"I watched you dance, in Bogota. And thought you beautiful. But it was in Mexico City, with your dark eyes and hungry smile I thought you stunning." Klaus smoothed a strand of her hair back, avoided touching her skin. "Why wouldn't I be interested?"

Caroline stepped back and shrugged. "As you've said, I've gotten many offers over the ages. But I'll consider yours."

His smile shifted into amusement. "Will you?"

She blew him a kiss before spinning on her heels to find different prey. Sauntering away, she could feel the heat of his gaze. She was beyond tempted to accept what he offered, but not until she had a chance to do a little digging.

Perhaps she'd indulge in a tiny dreamscape, see how he handled himself. A small test. Surely he'd expect such a thing? Satisfied, she locked eyes with a human, and smiled.


	29. Devil May Care

**Previous nonny who asked for AH Klaroline. Is Rivaling Supernatural Warlords AU okay? or Mutants AU? Gracias**

I don't know if this what either of us were expecting but here you go! NSFW. Mostly because of the smut (although it's light…)

* * *

"He watches you as though he wishes he could eat you."

Caroline didn't flinch from the unexpected intrusion of those words, the harsh tone and clipped words familiar enough that she barely reacted at all. She knew that was as dangerous as flinching, that he could read her anyway he wished, but she merely sighed and kept her eyes closed. "I'm not an easily digested meal."

The door clicked softly, and she opened her eyes then, turning her head to glare at the man who had interrupted her too short respite. Klaus Mikaelson was known for his brutality on a killing field, his ruthlessness in his hunt. She could testify to that ruthlessness in a much more intimate setting, that he could be just as merciless between her thighs.

His greed extended to all things.

But so did hers.

"Jealous?" She drawled, head tilting so the fall of her warriors braids were clear. She had not come tonight to be a woman, but a weapon. The last time they'd fought, it had been to a near stand still, her magic compensating for his brute strength and quickness. It's been the first time she'd allowed him to touch her with hands that gave instead of took.

It still felt like he'd bruised her, days later.

"Of him? No. Your eyes do not watch him as if you'd swallow him I'm greedy bites, as if you'd wear his skin if you could."

"Most would consider that a threat."

He laughed lowly. "Most have never caressed your thighs while you cursed and demanded more."

The stirring of arousal that had started over dinner as he watched her with a predator's eyes turned warm and heavy in her belly at his reminder. Klaus did not fear her strength, had merely laughed when she spelled him to the bed and bit his neck. He admired her soft breasts and hard muscles equally, and that made him so dangerous.

"I did not come to see you."

"I do not care."

She sighed. "My people require this alliance. You know this. I will leave you bleeding on this balcony if I must."

"A show of strength is unnecessary," Klaus murmured. "I already know your worth. The worth of your people's intentions are of course, a different matter."

Her smile was sugar sweet. "We didn't start the war, Klaus. Your people did."

He shook his head, amusement clear in his eyes. "Did we? Regardless, this simpering child will not give you want you want."

"You," Caroline said frostily. "Do not know what I want."

"Hmmm, perhaps not the way your people intended. I know the precise circles to make with my tongue against your clit to leave you trembling. I know the exact angle to drive my cock inside you, so that I'll feel the score of your nails for days."

She let the rush of heat wash over her skin, not bothering to fight the tightening of her belly, the slick rush between her thighs. Klaus knew exactly what he was doing and she would not show weakness by being ashamed of it. "Sex does not feed my people, even good sex."

His tongue slid slow and wet across his lips, and she stifled a moan. "I'm willing to negotiate."

Caroline blinked. "What?"

"I want you," he said simply. "And if I must placate the idiocy of your people to have you, I will."

Her lips parted, shock a bloom behind her eyes. "You hate my people."

"So I do," Klaus agreed as he stepped closer, the curtains behind him sliding closed, blocking them off from curious eyes. She shivered, as his gaze dragged along her finery, eyes hot. "But it is not your people I think of, when you are in my bed."

"I've never been in your bed," she pointed out a touch breathlessly as his fingertips smoothed across the skin bared between her breasts. "Klaus."

He slipped his hand inside her collar and found her nipple with his clever fingertips. She bit her lip, shuddering. "Perhaps we should change that. Come to my room tonight, and we'll negotiate."

Both of her eyebrows arched up, tone surprisingly even. "Why should I?"

His moved palm her breasts, callouses dragging against her skin, free hand slimming down her abdomen to slid through her thigh slit, lips curving as he traced the knife sheath. "How about I remind you at how good I am at getting you off. And then you can use that clever brain of yours, thinking of all the ways you want to tie me up, literally or figuratively. And I'll plot just how many ways I can convince you to break your precious rules."

It was an effort, to keep from panting as his fingers moved closer to where she was the wettest. She knew she could grip his hand, stop him from touching her. Instead, she was tempted to palm the front of his trousers, to feel just how much he wanted her.

"This will never work," she warned, skin rippling with a shiver as he stroked her firmly.

"Oh, I think you're quite wrong. And I look toward to proving it. Starting here," he rasped as her thighs widened, allowing his to press two fingers inside her. "And it's all I'm going to think about tonight as I watch you play politics, my fingers smelling of you."

It took a ridiculously short amount of time for her to come, swaying into him as he whispered filthy things against her ear. Her release was quick, but potent, and she struggled to catch her breath as he righted her clothes.

"Do leave that thigh sheath on tonight, love. I want to feel it when you wrap your thighs around my waist."

She was tempted to taunt him as he turned to leave. But they both knew that night would end in a spectacular fashion, and she was loath to ruin it. And it would be fascinating to see exactly what he thought of as negotiating.


	30. Wild With You

**Caroline is known for her exceptional control as a vampire. Request for a drabble where she loses that control with Klaus? Thank you for your writing and doing this ask on this day!**

* * *

There was blood on her tongue. It was the first real sensation that she became aware of, the heat and taste of it in her mouth. It was richer than the double fudge cake she had a weakness for and she wanted to gorge.

Her fingernails dug so tightly into flesh, she could feel the slickness of blood against her skin. She bit down harder at a flex of muscle beneath her iron grip, and a laugh rumbled against her back. She ignored the voices around her, the hand that slipped beneath her shirt gliding up and resting just beneath her breasts. Pressing backwards, she brought kept her grip as she fed, slowly becoming aware of the thumb feathering along the clasp between her breasts.

"Feel better, sweetheart?"

Her fangs unlatched in sheer surprise, Klaus' voice a dark rasp against her ear. He took advantage of her slackened grip and a moment later she was facing a wall, hands pinned above her head, his wrist bleeding. Her gaze latched onto the slow moving drops of blood that gravity pulled down his arm, lips parted and bloody as she panted.

His thumb shifted, sliding beneath the flimsy strap, and she barely registered the popping as he broke clasp, senses drawn to the blood she wanted more to lick. Klaus' hand shifted to cup one soft breast, no longer covered by lace, and she moaned as he toyed with her nipple. He ignored her attempt to break his grip, his low laughter darkly amused.

"You know, Caroline, it's rude to take a bite without permission," Klaus chastised, hand cupping and shaping her breast as he spoke. He pulled her hands higher, arching her back, scruff sliding against the ridge of her ear. Her nipple was a hard bead against his palm, and he ignored how she squirmed against him. "Stefan should have taught you better."

She tried to think through his words, but as his hand switched breasts, her thoughts scattered. It wasn't until he bit her ear, the sting sharp and unexpected, that she had any clarity of thought. Gasping in deep breaths, she shuddered out his name.

"Baby vampires," Klaus told her as he plucked at her neglected nipple, tugging just hard enough that she felt it, "are greedy. Constantly starving, hungry for blood, sex, and any vice that they can gorge on. Rabbits, your fingers or vibrator - they won't satisfy what hunts in your veins."

Her nails dug into the wall as his touch lightened, forehead pressing just as tightly to the wall as his caress lightened. The patterns he drew now were almost soothing, but they did nothing to ease the coil in her belly, the hot ache between her thighs.

"Why did you stop me?" Caroline finally panted. Now that her brain was turning back on, she was realizing exactly where she was. What had almost happened. Klaus had caught her, before she could lunge at Matt, who'd cut himself on a broken glass in the grill. They were in the storage room, and she could hear people moving around outside.

"Perhaps I'm feeling indulgent," Klaus said thoughtfully, palm flattening against her abdomen. She sucked in a breath, stomach trembling as his hand slowly slid down her sweat slicked skin, until the edge of his smallest finger just brushed inside the waistband of her skirt. Hyper aware of the smell of her arousal, the hard line of his erection against her ass, she swallowed a moan.

"The real question," he continued, voice low and intimate, "is just how greedy your feeling right now, love."

Her heartbeat was loud in her ears as he continued to insinuate his hand beneath her skirt, until the tips of his fingers found the soaked crotch of her panties. He made a pleased noise, rough and as greedy as he claimed she was. There was no control, when he had her pinned like this, and her monster didn't want it. She tried to press against his touch but he didn't let her, and this time she couldn't help her whine of frustration.

"Do you want my cock, Caroline?" He asked, skimming his fingers lightly along her underwear. "Has anyone held you like this, given your orders, since you were turned? Not my hybrid, he seems to be the pleasing type."

"N-no."

"We'll start easy," Klaus drawled. "If you want to come, you will keep your hand right here."

Caroline shuddered, at the sudden steel in his tone. Her palms flattened against the wall as he released her, her breathing heavy. There was a tiny voice warning her in the back of her head that this was a bad, bad idea but as Klaus tore away her panties, those warning scattered.

"Good girl," he praised as he slid his fingers through her slickness. He circled her clit slowly and the wall crumbled agaInst fingertips. He continued those agonizingly slow circles, fingertips withdrawing every time she tried to chase him, until she was standing perfectly still, stomach drawn tight with strain. Breath a sobbing gasp as she forced herself to hold still as he slowly toyed with her clit, she shuddered as he hummed his approval.

"Such a pretty baby vampire," he rasped as he withdrew his hand entirely. She complained, body heaving as she hovered so close to an orgasm and he soothed her, hand running through her hair until the worst of her trembling eased. "Shhh, sweetheart."

She vaguely registered the sounds of his zipper and the he was shifting away from her, encouraging her to brace her arms against the wall. She pressed her forehead against her forearm, heart pounding as her shirt was pushed up. A moment later, the head of his cock brushed against her and she gasped as his fingers tangled in her hair as he pushed slowly inside her. She clenched down as he seated himself, one of his hands returning to her breast.

"You're wasted on the Salvatores," he told her roughly as he started to thrust slowly, the angle hitting her just right. "I want to tie you to my bed and teach you to beg; to splay you against my sheets and teach you to obey."

She struggled to follow what he was saying, but all she wanted was the orgasm she was chasing. His lips pressed against her throat and he groaned. "Touch your clit, Caroline."

She shoved her hand frantically beneath her skirt, fingers working and her orgasm hit just as Klaus bit into the side of her neck. A few rough thrusts later, and he joined her, his release hot inside her. When he lifted his head, he didn't bother to lick her wounds closed, panting against her jaw with bloody lips.

They were both bloody and smelled heavily of sex. There would be no hiding this from supernatural noses. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"Come find me, when you're ready, Caroline. I'll teach you all about being a vampire, inside and outside of my bed."

As he left her to collect herself, she stared at the blood drying beneath her nails and realized with a jolt she felt better than she had in ages. Shuddering, because he'd found such perfect temptation, she straightened her clothes. Not today.

But she wasn't sure how long it would take to turn her wavering no to a yes.


	31. Speak Easy to Me

**Anonymous asked: Previous nonny who asked for AH Klaroline. Is Rivaling Supernatural Warlords AU okay? or Mutants AU? Gracias**

 **I don't know if this what either of us were expecting but here you go! NSFW. Mostly because of the smut (although it's light…)**

* * *

"He watches you as though he wishes he could eat you."

Caroline didn't flinch from the unexpected intrusion of those words, the harsh tone and clipped words familiar enough that she barely reacted at all. She knew that was as dangerous as flinching, that he could read her anyway he wished, but she merely sighed and kept her eyes closed. "I'm not an easily digested meal."

The door clicked softly, and she opened her eyes then, turning her head to glare at the man who had interrupted her too short respite. Klaus Mikaelson was known for his brutality on a killing field, his ruthlessness in his hunt. She could testify to that ruthlessness in a much more intimate setting, that he could be just as merciless between her thighs.

His greed extended to all things.

But so did hers.

"Jealous?" She drawled, head tilting so the fall of her warriors braids were clear. She had not come tonight to be a woman, but a weapon. The last time they'd fought, it had been to a near standstill, her magic compensating for his brute strength and quickness. It's been the first time she'd allowed him to touch her with hands that gave instead of took.

It still felt like he'd bruised her, days later.

"Of him? No. Your eyes do not watch him as if you'd swallow him I'm greedy bites, as if you'd wear his skin if you could."

"Most would consider that a threat."

He laughed lowly. "Most have never caressed your thighs while you cursed and demanded more."

The stirring of arousal that had started over dinner as he watched her with a predator's eyes turned warm and heavy in her belly at his reminder. Klaus did not fear her strength, had merely laughed when she spelled him to the bed and bit his neck. He admired her soft breasts and hard muscles equally, and that made him so dangerous.

"I did not come to see you."

"I do not care."

She sighed. "My people require this alliance. You know this. I will leave you bleeding on this balcony if I must."

"A show of strength is unnecessary," Klaus murmured. "I already know your worth. The worth of your people's intentions are of course, a different matter."

Her smile was sugar sweet. "We didn't start the war, Klaus. Your people did."

He shook his head, amusement clear in his eyes. "Did we? Regardless, this simpering child will not give you want you want."

"You," Caroline said frostily. "Do not know what I want."

"Hmmm, perhaps not the way your people intended. I know the precise circles to make with my tongue against your clit to leave you trembling. I know the exact angle to drive my cock inside you, so that I'll feel the score of your nails for days."

She let the rush of heat wash over her skin, not bothering to fight the tightening of her belly, the slick rush between her thighs. Klaus knew exactly what he was doing and she would not show weakness by being ashamed of it. "Sex does not feed my people, even good sex."

His tongue slid slow and wet across his lips, and she stifled a moan. "I'm willing to negotiate."

Caroline blinked. "What?"

"I want you," he said simply. "And if I must placate the idiocy of your people to have you, I will."

Her lips parted, shock a bloom behind her eyes. "You hate my people."

"So I do," Klaus agreed as he stepped closer, the curtains behind him sliding closed, blocking them off from curious eyes. She shivered, as his gaze dragged along her finery, eyes hot. "But it is not your people I think of, when you are in my bed."

"I've never been in your bed," she pointed out a touch breathlessly as his fingertips smoothed across the skin bared between her breasts. "Klaus."

He slipped his hand inside her collar and found her nipple with his clever fingertips. She bit her lip, shuddering. "Perhaps we should change that. Come to my room tonight, and we'll negotiate."

Both of her eyebrows arched up, tone surprisingly even. "Why should I?"

His moved palm her breasts, callouses dragging against her skin, free hand slimming down her abdomen to slid through her thigh slit, lips curving as he traced the knife sheath. "How about I remind you at how good I am at getting you off. And then you can use that clever brain of yours, thinking of all the ways you want to tie me up, literally or figuratively. And I'll plot just how many ways I can convince you to break your precious rules."

It was an effort, to keep from panting as his fingers moved closer to where she was the wettest. She knew she could grip his hand, stop him from touching her. Instead, she was tempted to palm the front of his trousers, to feel just how much he wanted her.

"This will never work," she warned, skin rippling with a shiver as he stroked her firmly.

"Oh, I think you're quite wrong. And I look toward to proving it. Starting here," he rasped as her thighs widened, allowing his to press two fingers inside her. "And it's all I'm going to think about tonight as I watch you play politics, my fingers smelling of you."

It took a ridiculously short amount of time for her to come, swaying into him as he whispered filthy things against her ear. Her release was quick, but potent, and she struggled to catch her breath as he righted her clothes.

"Do leave that thigh sheath on tonight, love. I want to feel it when you wrap your thighs around my waist."

She was tempted to taunt him as he turned to leave. But they both knew that night would end in a spectacular fashion, and she was loath to ruin it. And it would be fascinating to see exactly what he thought of as negotiating.

* * *

 **Anonymous asked: Klaroline mafia au with smut pls it would be cool if kc were married or rivals**

 **Not super smutty, but there is some! Also gore, discussion of torture, and references to being tied up. A bit dark, honestly.**

"Do you know what your first mistake was?"

Caroline stared down at the man who she'd once called a friend, eyes pitiless as she watched him bleed. The gunshot wound in his shoulder had to hurt, but she knew before long it would be the least of his concerns. Her own wounds were seeping, but they were hardly her first and likely not her last.

Stefan gave her a tight smile, sweat beading at his temples, even as he tried to maintain his facade. "I'm sure you'll tell me."

She arched both brows, fingers still curled around her favorite pistol. She could still hear the sounds of fighting outside, knew that she wouldn't be alone with him for much longer. Still, she made no move to stand. Her husband's fury would burn for long a long time over this little attempted coup, she didn't see the point in adding to the flames by adding to her injuries. Her once pristine bedroom was littered in glass and an assortment of broken furniture. Her tussle with Stefan might have ended in his favor, if he hadn't underestimated her. The text message from her husband warning her had also been helpful. Not enough time to avoid the attack completely, but long enough that she hadn't been caught by surprise.

"You'd think someone with a hole in their shoulder would make a point to use their manners," she pointed out with a sigh. "Your attitude has always been lacking in proper deference, Stefan. Once, I found that amusing."

"You have never deserved it."

"Matter of opinion," Caroline dismissed. "But your grievances are stacking up, aren't they?"

Stefan laughed bitterly, hand squeezing his biceps tightly. "With both know that he'll never forgive today."

Caroline pinned him with cold eyes. "Of course he won't. But neither will I, Stefan. And this little rebellion is going to cost you. I'm not just going to go after just Damon and Elena. I'm going to go after every person who may have once shown you the smallest of kindness. And then I'm going to destroy them. I'll strip them financially and emotionally, so that when death finally comes, it'll be a mercy. Then, when not even a stranger on the street would be willing to offer the remains of your family so much as a penny, I'll take them. In the end, they'll wish you'd slit their throats yourself."

Stefan's jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles were visibly jumping. "You speak as if I'll still be alive."

"Because you will."

Caroline smiled at the sound of Klaus' voice, the hard edge of rage behind it. She didn't take her eyes from Stefan until Kol stood behind him. The most volatile of the Klaus' still living siblings, he was picture of horror. Blood dripped from his face and his clothes were slick from it, but he was smiling as he clasped Stefan's shoulders.

"Here is our guest of honor."

Stefan flinched, but Caroline was done with him. Her gaze moved to Klaus, and the tightness on her shoulders eased as she took him in. His gaze were lit with the temper that made him so dangerous as he took her her wounds, the violent bruises forming around her throat. Bloodstained, and furious, her system gave a hard jolt of lust as she took in his ruined suit shirt and wild curls. She wanted to touch him, to assure herself of what her eyes were telling her.

When his eyes moved to Stefan, they were hard. Caroline knew what it had cost him to come to her instead of pursuing Damon, and she felt her heart squeeze that he had. She'd make it up to him.

"We'll chat later, mate. Kol?" Klaus said almost pleasantly.

Kol laughed and jerked Stefan to his feet as Enzo walked in to join them. He met her gaze and nodded. Knowing that her second would have things well in hand, she clicked her safety back on and grimaced as the motion pulled her ribs. "Do keep him alive, Kol. And be careful of his spine. We want him functioning when we have our upcoming chats."

A moment later and Klaus was standing next to her. His eyes were still furious, but they were tempered now. His touch was feather light as he skimmed it down her bloody chin, beneath her split lip. "Let's look you over."

She tilted her head in agreement, lips parting in a near silent sigh as Klaus lifted her. He smelled like gunpowder, blood and the cologne she'd watched him put on just hours before. She curled her fingers into the collar of his shirt, grazing the warm skin there for just a moment.

In her life, Caroline had trusted exactly three people. Enzo and Bonnie had been with her from the beginning, the rare friends that had stood with her in the shadow of her father's organization. They'd been with her when she'd murdered Bill in retaliation for her mother's death, had lived with her in the shadows as she ruthlessly taken over his organization and made it a force.

Klaus had been unexpected. The disgraced and disinherited son of a prominent mob family in New York, he'd come to Chicago looking for a new start. Caroline had been amused by him, had allowed him the occasional job in her organization only because Elijah Mikaelson had personally asked her for the favor. He'd never job den his intentions for vengeance, and she'd indulged him. She'd warned Klaus that if his quest endangered any of her people, she'd ship what was left of him to his father in a shoebox.

After Mikaelson mysterious death and Elijah's hostile takeover, she'd have thought he'd disappear. Instead, he'd returned to her trailing siblings, and proceeded to use his ruthlessness to move up in her organization. Caroline admired his practicality, how he was always two steps ahead of everyone around him. But she'd also seen the threat.

Klaus still claimed the night she'd sat him down and promised to destroy him if he was aiming for her job as their first date. She argued with him, because riling her husband always led to the most intriguing results. He'd made her a single promise that night: he'd never betray her, as long as she didn't betray him. Foolishly, ridiculously, she'd believed him.

Five years later, and she'd married him.

The bathroom counter was cool beneath her thighs, as Klaus sat her carefully down. A moment later, and the door was shut, blocking out the team Enzo trusted to start putting her bedroom back into place. She'd sleep here tonight, and tomorrow she'd start purging her people.

Caroline was silent as Klaus cut away the fabric of her dress, taking in the damage beneath her clothing. She cupped his jaw as his eyes narrowed, coaxing his gaze back to her face.

"What did he promise you?"

Klaus caught her hand, brought to his mouth. "Nothing imaginative. New York, should I want it. As if I am incapable of taking it from Elijah, should that be my wish."

Caroline wrinkled her nose. "Damon is an unimaginative fool."

"Damon and I will one day have quite the discussion on imagination," Klaus said coldly as he reached for a washcloth, running it under the water for a long moment and before he carefully started wiping away the blood on her face. "We killed anyone who fired against us, but there will still be those to hold accountable."

"Yes," she agreed around a wince as he examined her lip. "It will take time, but we'll ferret out his plants. I imagine we'll find a number of men whose balls were twisted at the idea of taking orders from a woman."

A hint of a smile, along his lips. "That sort of idiocy has no place here."

"How short their memories run," she murmured, head tilting back do he could tend to her throat. She shivered, as he grazed below her ear, and she felt his smile deepen. She snuck her hand beneath his shirt and lightly pinched his hip in chastisement, but the jolt of his hips at the small sting left her fighting her own smile. Mostly naked, there was no hiding her body's reaction to the fight, the adrenaline turning to heady arousal as he touched her.

"Behave," he warned lowly.

She dipped her chin and arched a brow. "No."

A hint of dimple, as he rinsed the cloth and continued. She nearly groaned at the graze of his thumb against her nipple, watched him from narrowed eyes as he cleaned the swells of her breasts. "I want Damon and Elena alive."

"Do you?"

"Stefan is yours," she offered magnanimously. "As long as he is somewhat mentally functioning when I bring him the walking corpses of his family, I don't care what you do."

His gaze lifted to hers, and the blue was hot. "The example I'll make of him won't be pretty, love."

Caroline skimmed her fingers along the edge of his belt, and lower, grazing the length of the erection he made no move to hide. That was only fair, since her nipples were hard points and her thighs growing slick. Discussing murder with Klaus' hands on her skin was one of her biggest kinks, and the way he palmed her breast said he knew it.

"You ribs?"

"Bruised."

His head bent, and he skimmed her bruised throat. "These?"

Caroline looped her arms around his shoulders. "It looks like you'll be doing all the work tonight. Be nice."

A hot kiss against her shoulder. "I want Bonnie to look you over."

"And I want you to touch me," she demanded before biting his ear. He shuddered, and she licked the sting. "If you're nice to me now, I won't argue about Bonnie. And I'll let you come however you want in bed."

His laugh was husky against her skin, fingertips gliding along her thigh. "Will you, now? I don't believe it's your turn to be in charge."

She pulled back and lifted a hand carefully to brush the curls at the nape of his neck, breasts swaying with her movement. "I believe I was tied to the bed last night, and I certainly don't recall you doing a damn thing I wanted."

His nose brushed hers, just as his knuckles stroked firmly along her slit. She shuddered, nails digging into skin as he grazed her clit. "Did I not? My apologies, love. It was a tad difficult to understand you, as you spent most of the night screaming my name."

Her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed two fingers inside her, breasts pressing against his chests as his thumb made achingly slow circles against her. His free hand worked her nipple, and he made alow noise when her hips shifted. "Your ribs, Caroline. I'll do the work."

She parted her lips to protest, and he hooked his fingers inside her, finding that perfect spot. Her eyes rolled back, his name a whine as he pressed harder against her clit, nipple caught between two fingers. Already heavily aroused, it didn't take long before Caroline came with a ripple, shuddering out his name. She leaned against him, breathing for long moments before letting him untangle their limbs. Catching his hand, she sucked his wet fingers into her mouth, just to watch him moan, hips jolting against her before he could stop himself.

"Bonnie," he said firmly.

"Bonnie," she agreed with a sigh, even as her fingers snuck between them to cup his erection. The cords of his neck went taut, and she licked her lips, ignoring the sting. "I can't suck you tonight, but I'm sure we'll think of something."

He caught her hand, eyes dark and full of the best kind of retribution. "I'm sure we will. And perhaps I'll even let you in on a few of my more bloodthirsty plans, when I'm buried inside you. Would you like that, Caroline? My cock filling you as I describe every way that I will cause Stefan to wish he was dead? No other stimulation that my voice and the future screams of your enemies while you clench down on my cock?"

She shivered, eyes heavy lidded. "Yes."

His smile was as dangerous as his eyes, but his touch was gentle as he helped her to the floor, steadying her as her knees wobbled. An affectionate kiss against her forehead was all he allowed either of them before fetching her his robe.

"Good."

She brushed his mouth with her fingertips once she was covered, the belt loose around her hips. "I asked Stefan if he knew what his biggest mistake was but he had no answer."

Klaus arched a brow as he opened the door. "Did you?"

She smiled at him, even though her lip and jaw burned. "It was attempting to turn you against me."

His gaze warmed and she moved into the bedroom, snapping orders as she went. She had an examination to complete, and she wanted everything sorted by the time that was done. Klaus had a promise to fulfill.

* * *

 **swallowedbyfandom asked: Succubus Caroline with jealous Klaus**

 **I went a little light on jealous Klaus, and there ended up being a tiny bit of suggested Tyler/Klaus. No smut, but probably NSFW anyway.**

Paris wasn't really her city of choice. Generally, most of Europe was off her list. She knew some of her kind enjoyed what they considered the old world, liked that the puritanical backgrounds left them with breeding grounds to corrupt. The occasional corruption was fun, but also boring.

She preferred Latin America. Parts of Asia. Places where her looks didn't merely blend in with the crowd, where sex wasn't always a taboo subject for back hallways and closed doors.

Paris ended up as an accident, a diverted flight and she'd decided to make the most it. She'd started in Amsterdam, a city that certainty had it shared of sins, and traveled along until she found herself here. And wasn't tonight turning out to be an interesting one.

Vampires weren't a new experience, they weren't even a new flavor on her tongue. But this strange new Hybrid? A little of her allure, a lot of skin, and she was breathing in his arousal and secrets like he was a teenager. Humming against his throat in a dark corner, swaying slowly to the beat while palming his erection, his fingers pawing at her breasts, she could have taken whatever she wanted.

"Enjoying yourself, sweetheart?"

Her lashes parted as she turned to see who'd interrupted her little snack. Surprise was heady, as she took in what smelled like an older version of the boy pressed against her. A sexier, prettier version. Instinct brushed along her spine, warning her that this man was no easy prey.

"A bit of a snack," Caroline replied with a shrug. She tipped her head to the side, lips curving a hair when another nudge of her palm left the hybrid shuddering, teetering on an orgasm that she could already taste on her tongue. "This one yours?"

He matched her smile. "So he is, aren't you, Tyler?"

It was fascinating, and immensely disappointing, when the boy went rigid in shock. Caroline clicked her tongue, at that bite of fear. "You're not going to ruin my fun, are you?"

Arms folding, shoulder bracing against the doorway, he tilted his head, dimples cutting deeper. "That would be rude, wouldn't it? I've no wish to keep you from eating, love, but it appears Tyler's lips have been a bit loose."

The heartbeat in Tyler's neck turned staccato, but her brows arched when the terror mingled with arousal. Lips pursing, she pushed Tyler's hand off her breast and drummed her fingers against her meals thigh. "Is it his wolf that wants you to hurt him just a little or the man?"

Tyler jerked and she smoothed her fingers down his throat, letting the allure soothe him now that she was losing interest. His muscles smoothed out, and she knew without looking that his eyes had glazed over. It'd wear off in a few moments, and he'd feel a little drunk, but there was a price to pay when you played with demons.

The new, and far more intriguing, man laughed lowly, and she tilted her head. "I've seen you before."

A hint of teeth. "I believe you have."

She stepped away from Tyler, sauntered over without bothering to straighten her neckline. She could see fine in the dark, but she took her time to study his face now that she was closer. Notable lips, pretty bones, and eyes that were older than she was expecting. "Mexico City. Bogota."

A dip of his chin. "Very good. What brings you to my stomping grounds?"

"Serendipity," Caroline said breezily. "My plane was diverted, thought I'd do some exploring. Ran into your intriguing minion. Thought I'd see how he'd taste."

Tyler groaned, and Caroline took that as her cue to leave. As she went to step around the other hybrid, his voice stopped her.

"What will he remember?"

Blinking, she glanced at him to find he was still watching her. Unexpected goosebumps prickled against her skin. "Not much."

"Why not finish him off?"

Caroline pursed her lips. He'd made no move to hold her there, and she wasn't sure he could hold her. Magic was tricky, and she'd yet to find a man she couldn't entrance. Still, she'd taken information from what was his, the scales weren't balanced. "A little bit of fear can be fun, but I dont have the time to make that worth my while with him."

"And when was the last time you ate?"

She laughed, pushing her hair away from her face. "I don't see how that concerns you, unless you're in the desperate need for a fuck. Looking for an easy lay? How disappointing."

Those blue eyes lightened, until they were ringed in yellow, and her breath caught. "I'll forgive your derision, Caroline, because I imagine you've been on the receiving end of many such offers. A bit boring, I imagine, those men who believe any of their orgasms would be enough to satisfy you. But that's not what you need, is it?"

Caroline ran her tongue across her lips, words low. "I didn't tell you my name."

"I have excellent hearing."

She angled her head. "So do I. And I don't believe I've heard yours."

"Klaus," he said with that smile. "I wonder, when was the last time you've hand something unbreakable beneath your hands? Something you can toy with, play with, until even you hunger is sated."

It felt like a spark, as she absorb that tiny part of him. He didn't blink, even though he knew what she was. Though he might know what giving her any part of himself to her meant. What she could do with it. Fascinating. Amused, she reached up and adjusted her breasts, smoothing her skimpy shirt into place. His eyes never left her face. "Well, Klaus, interesting as your offer, what would you like in return? Men rarely offer complete control, regardless if they even have it, without strings."

His smile was slow and dangerous, sexy in a way she liked. "Just the chance to return the favor. I like sex, and I won't apologize for wondering what it takes to satisfy a well fed succubus."

"Interested in something that won't break?" She drawled, eyes curious.

"I watched you dance in Bogota. And thought you beautiful. But it was in Mexico City, with your dark eyes and hungry smile I thought you stunning." Klaus smoothed a strand of her hair back, avoided touching her skin. "Why wouldn't I be interested?"

Caroline stepped back and shrugged. "As you've said, I've gotten many offers over the ages. But I'll consider yours."

His smile shifted into amusement. "Will you?"

She blew him a kiss before spinning on her heels to find different prey. Sauntering away, she could feel the heat of his gaze. She was beyond tempted to accept what he offered, but not until she had a chance to do a little digging.

Perhaps she'd indulge in a tiny dreamscape, see how he handled himself. A small test. Surely he'd expect such a thing? Satisfied, she locked eyes with a human, and smiled.


End file.
